SB 117 




S'fiED GROWING*FORDHOdK .I3lRM. 

YI-Atlee RliRPEE &C?, 



PHILADELPHIA 



MANURES: 

How to Make and How to Use Them. 

BY FRANK W. SEMPERS, 

Director of the Fordhook Chemical laboratory. 



From Farm Journal, Philadelphia, August, 1895, 

Every user of fertilizers should have it.' 
From Country Gentleman, Albany, N.Y., March 2, 189S. 

He writes in language that can be read understanding^ by all. 
From Florist's Exchange, New York City, February 25, 1893. 

We heartily recommend this book to everyone that is in any way 
interested in the question of manures. 

From The Inter-Ocean, Cliicago, February 25, 1893. 

It deals with authentic facts fully verified, and not with wild theories. 
The farmer could scarcely find the subject more clearly and intelligently . 
discussed than he will find it in this neat little volume. 

From American Farmer and Farm News, Springfield, 0., March, 1893. 
It is concise, practical, and brimful of really new facts upon a subject 
of growing importance. It is written by the well-known chemist, F. W. 
Sempers, who presents science clothed in words readily understood by 
the everyday man. 

From Ohio Farmer, Cleveland, 0., March 16, 1893. 

Unlike most of such works, it does not deal in " glittering generalities, " 
but comes right down to details, and tells the farmer what he wants to 
know. It answers scores of such practical questions about fertilizers as 
come to this oifice every year. 

From American Agriculturist, New York City, April, 1893. 

Fertilizers are so necessary a factor to the most lasting success in farm- 
ing, that this little volume will be useful to every farmer or gardener. 
The author is the chemist of the Fordhook Farm, and has made a con- 
cise, practical hand-book containing the latest researches in scientific 
agriculture in all parts of the world. 

JFVom^RuRAL New Yorker, New York City, May 27, 1893. 

It is just one of those books that we take delight in recommending 
to every reader who uses fertilizers. We do not know of any other book 
of this class that answers so well and in such a simple manner the ques- 
tion which every season arises in the minds of farmers. 

From Gardeners' Magazine, London, England, June 3, 1893. 

The book is especially welcome for the ability shown by the author in 
dealing with the subject, which is full of difficulty, and the remarkable 
clearness with which the details are set forth. We have in this country 
numerous good works on fertilizers and their application, but having 
regard to its comprehensiveness, excellent arrangement, and low price, 
there is no English book on manures that can approach it, and in the 
interest of the general body of cultivators in this country, we regret that 
it has no publisher on this side of the Atlantic. 



Price, postpaid, 50 Cents. 
W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



We ' ' ' 

SELECTION 

IN 

SEED GROWING, 



COMPRISING 



PAPERS READ BEFORE THE SEEDSMEN'S SESSION OF 

THE WORLD'S AUXILIARY HORTICULTURAL 

CONGRESS, CHICAGO, AUGUST 16, 1893. 



WITH DISCUSSION ON SAME BY WILLIAM MEGGAT, OF CONNECTICUT; 

T. W. WOOD, OF VIRGINIA; PROF. L. H. BAILEY, 

OF NEW YORK, AND OTHERS. 



THE SEEDSMAN'S TRIAL GROUNDS, 

BY W. ATLEE BURPEE, 

TO WHICH ARE APPENDED SEVERAL NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ON 

"MODERN METHODS OF THE SEED TRADE," 
"SEED GROWING AT FORDHOOK FARM." 



k< 






PUBLISHED BY 

W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO. ; 

PHILADELPHIA, W. 
1894. 



,\1 



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Copyright, 1893, BY W. Atlee Burpkk & Co. 



WM. F. FELL & CO., 

Electrotypers and Printers, 

1220-24 sanson! street, philadelphia. 



VO 



PUBLISHERS' PREFACE. 



The widespread interest in the development of new and improved 
varieties of Vegetables, Grains and Flowers, and the importance of the 
papers read at the World's Auxiliary Horticultural Congress held in 
Chicago August 17, 1893, suggested the permanent publishing in this 
pamphlet of those bearing directly upon 

SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

The well-known names of the Authors of these papers, given in the 
Table of Contents, accompanied as they are in the following pages by 
stenographic reports of the remarks in introduction and discussion of 
the essays, taken from the American Florist and the Florists' Exchange, 
render unnecessary the writing of any long publishers' preface. 

In connection with these essays we also publish a paper on the 
Seedsman's Trial Grounds, as bearing upon the same subject and 
illustrating that in seeds " Eternal vigilance is the price of safety." 

Our original intention was to publish only these papers and the 
discussion thereon, but the nominal price (ten cents or free as premium) 
at which this pamphlet is published, and the fact that it is exclusively 
offered in connection with our seeds as announced in the Farm Annual 
for 1894, have led us to reprint articles from several papers descrip- 
tive of seed growing at Fordhook Farm. 

Many gardeners and amateurs unable to visit Fordhook during 
the growing season have expressed a desire to know more about 
modern methods of growing and testing seeds than the crowded 
pages of our Farm Annual will permit. While to some degree 
partaking of the nature of an advertisement, we think these articles 
will prove interesting to thousands of our friends and patrons. 

We have also availed ourselves of the space herein at our command 
to give a more extended notice of our books on Horticultural subjects. 
The publishing department of our business is conducted for the mutual 
good of our customers and ourselves, and they are reminded that 
we always allow a credit of ten cents on every dollar to apply toward 
the purchase of any books published by us. 

W. Atlee Burpee & Co. 

Philadelphia, December, 1S93. 



THE IMPORTANCE OF SELECTION IN 
SEED GROWING.* 



Complaints of poor seed come to us from every 
quarter, and we are asked, " Where is the fault? '' 
We reply, in a great degree the cheat is the man 
that gets cheated. The principal cause of poor 
seed is the desire and willingness to huy poor seed, 
which is only a synonym 1'or cheap seed. Seed 
growing is one of the most difficult and particular 
branches of horticulture ; in order to secure a stock 
of good or superior quality of seeds, the utmost 
attention to selection must he paid. Everything 
that does not come up to the desired type must be 
discarded, even though it takes the whole crop, 
which is not unfrequently the case. This makes 
seed growing a difficult and expensive business, 
one requiring the most constant care and attention. 
Therefore, when the best results in seed growing 
are attained, they are attended with very great ex- 
pense, at least four times, in many cases, as much 
as seed of an ordinary character would cost. Con- 
sequently they bring a correspondingly high price 
in the market. It therefore follows, when dealers 
whose reputations have become well established 
make up their price lists, it is but reasonable to 
suppose they are doing, in way of prices, what 
every one must do in order to make a success of 
his business, make prices in proportion to the cost 
of the article sold. Then they sow good seeds, 
reap a fair profit, and the consumer is not only 
satisfied, but is a living advertisement of this 
seed house. 

In opposition to this class, there are to be found 
dealers who wish to build up a trade, and with it 

a fortune, by selling cheap seeds 

We do not question the intentions of this class of 
dealers, but we do know, from practical experience, 
that it costs more to grow first-class seeds alone 
than the amount for which they are usually sold, 
without taking into consideration the cost of sell- 
ing. We therefore say, if you sow cheap seed, you 
will reap cheap returns— a crop of disappointment 
rather than one of pleasure and profit. 



* Extract from an article by C. L. ALLEN in The Practical Farmer, September 
16, 1893, entitled, "As We Sow, so Shall We Reap," to which he gives the sub- 
title, " Why Good Seed Cannot be Sold at Low Prices." 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



The Horticultural Congress. 

PAGE 

Opening Address, by President Bonney, 7 

Opening of the Seedsmen's Session, 9 

"Pedigree or Grade Races in Horticulture," by Henri L. de 

Vilmorin, Paris, 10 

"Selection in its relation to Seed Growing," by C. L. Allen, 

New York, 19 

"Seed Growing in Denmark," by J. Pedersen Bjergaard, of 

Copenhagen, 27 

"American Seed Growing," by C. C. Morse, of California ... 33 
Discussion on the preceding papers, by William Meggat, of 
Connecticut, T. W. Wood, of Virginia, A. W. Livingston, 
of Iowa, Prof. L. H. Bailey, of New York, and others, . . 37 
"The Seedsman's Trial Grounds," by W. Atlee Burpee, ... 41 

Extracts From the Essays at Chicago, 49 

li Modern Methods of the Seed Trade," by C. L. Allen, of Long 

Island, 60 

Farm and Garden Notes ; from the ' ' Public Ledger ' ' of Phila- 
delphia, 71 

"Where and How Seeds are Grown ;" from the "Philadelphia 

Inquirer," 78 

"Seed Growing and Testing ; " from the " New Jersey Temperanee 

Gazette," 92 

Fordhook in Fall ; from the "Doylestown Intelligencer." . ... 93 
W. Atlee Burpee & Co.'s Seed House; from the "Florist's Ex- 
change," N. Y 96 

Why we Publish Books on Horticulture, with Advertisements of 
all the Books Published, 99-115 



In a country so vast and varied as ours, where the setting sun 
of the East is the rising sun of the West ; where in the North 
there is rarely a month without a frost and at the South rarely 
a month with one ; where the soil in one locality is the most 
productive, in another the reverse, and this same, too, in close 
proximity— the seedsman has difficulties to contend with that are 
entirely unknown in any other country. He must have a 
knowledge of selection sufficient to enable him to choose from 
every section of the country such types as are best adapted to its 
various conditions of climate and soil. — From the essay by 
C. L. Allen, of New York, page 26 of this book. 



From The American Florist, Chicago, August 17, 189.1. 

THE HORTICULTURAL CONGRESS. 

THE Horticultural Congress of the World's Columbian Exposition 
at Chicago convened in the Memorial Art Palace on Michigan 
Avenue, on Wednesday morning, August 16, as per published 
programme. There was a large attendance and much interest was 
manifested. 

President Bonney, of the World's Congress Auxiliary, welcomed the 
visitors in the following words : — 

" Friends of the Seed, the Flower, the Fruit; fair Trinity of 
Potency and Beauty and Use : The fairest conception of human 
existence is of life in a garden, with its exquisite beauty and peace, and 
from which culture and care have banished every hurtful thing. 
Among the pictures in the temple of my own memory there is none 
brighter than that of the garden near the family mansion, in which my 
mother gathered roses and violets and the early fruits. 

"The loveliest symbols of thought and aspiration of sentiment and 
affection are flowers. There is no more deep and subtle mystery than 
that which conceals plant and shrub and tree in the seemingly simple 
structure of a seed. 

"There is no more charming art and occupation than the cultivation 
of flowers and fruit-bearing trees. There is no calling more innocent and 
conducive to human welfare than that of the horticulturist. The improve- 
ment and beautifying of public, parks and grounds depend chiefly upon 
the gardener's art. The protection of fruit crops, involving vast pe- 
cuniary interests and the best part of the food supply of great numbers 
of people, is almost wholly dependent upon the studies, the experiments, 
and practical wisdom of those whom this Congress on Horticulture rep- 
resents. 

"The trade and commerce in seeds, fruits, flowers, and nursery 
products is of such magnitude and importance that it is j ustly regarded 
as one of the greatest business interests of the world. It is therefore 
most appropriate that arrangements have been made for a Congress on 
Horticulture among the many congresses of 1893. 

7 



8 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

"This Congress has been organized by a Committee of Organization, 
of which Mr. J. C. Vaughan is chairman, assisted by a Committee 
of Co-operation of the American Seed Trade Association, of which 
Mr. W. Atlee Burpee is chairman, and a Committee of Co-operation of 
the Society of American Florists, of which Mr. E. G. Hill is chairman. 
Upon the nomination of these committees Mr. P. J. Berckmans has 
been appointed the presiding officer of the opening session of this 
Congress. 

"A glance at the programme prepared shows that it is properly repre- 
sentative of the various interests involved. France, Germany, Den- 
mark, and man}* - American States are represented by appropriate 
subjects and contributors. Other States and countries will doubtless 
take part in the discussion. In behalf of the World's Congress 
Auxiliary of the World's Columbian Exposition I welcome you to this 
Congress. ' ' 



From The Florist's Exchange, New York, August 26, 1898. 

SEEDSMEN'S SESSION. 

THIS session, which was presided over by Mr. W. Atlee Burpee, of 
Philadelphia, president-elect of the American Reed Trade 
Association, was held on Thursday forenoon, August 17, 189o. 
There was a large and enthusiastic attendance, and the papers read 
were listened to with the closest attention. Mr. Burpee, in opening 
the proceedings of the day, said : — 

After the opening of the Horticultural Congress yesterday by Mr. 
Bonney, the addresses of welcome by Mr. Vaughan and Mr. Berck- 
mans, it only remains for the chairman of the Seedsmen's session to 
introduce the speakers whose names you will find on the programme. 
This Congress is certainly very well timed ; while not so well attended, 
owing to the counter attractions, the papers read will be of high inter- 
est and have wide influence after their publication. Horticulture, for 
its proper advancement and full development, seems necessarily to 
be as international in its character as are the finances of the world. 
The advancement of American horticulture and of American seed 
growing, while it has been great, has ever looked to Europe for much 
of its knowledge, for many of its improved types, and must continue 
to do so, just as Europe will look to America and each nation to the 
other for the special advantages of soil or intelligence which each 
nation may offer. 

Of all the European nations to which America is indebted for ad- 
vancement in progressive seed growing, none stands higher than France, 
and in all France there is one name which stands pre-eminent, the 
name of a man whose signal services to the advancement of horti- 
culture have been recognized by the French Government with the dis- 
tinction of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. That gentleman is with 
us to-day. While a citizen of France, yet, from his wide achievements 
in horticulture, we can call him a citizen of the world, and the ad- 
vancement and impetus which he has given to the improvement of 
many varieties of vegetables and flowers grown from seed cannot be 
confined to only one country, but must be world-wide in its benefi- 
cent effect. I have the pleasure of introducing to you one whom we 
all delight to honor, Mr. Henri L. de Vilmorin, of Paris. [Applause.] 

9 



PEDIGREE OR GRADE RACES IN HORTI= 
CULTURE. 

BY HENRI L. DE VILMORIN, Paris. 

[Read before the Seedsmen's Session of the World's Fair Horticultural 
Congress, Chicago, August 17, 1893. 

THE subject on which I intend to address you may seem at first 
sight to he a rather special and limited one. I trust, however, 
that upon consideration you will see with me that it is one of 
great importance and of the deepest interest. I claim for it a constant 
and all-powerful action in the life of garden plants when we are seek- 
ing the most improved races. 

It is a well-estahlished fact that the life-work of plants is to make 
the mineral wealth of the earth fitted for the use of animals 
and of man. Now it is clear that the plant's work can be 
done well or ill according to its more or less perfect fitness to its func- 
tions. It is, moreover, within the power of man to consider, and to 
some extent control, the efficiency of plants as regards their work, to 
select and to increase the best only, and by continued selection to de- 
velop more and more the good qualities of each kind. In this way 
man raises races and varieties of plants which do their work best and 
quickest. Heredity is the lever by which the results of the study and 
care and perseverance of the raiser are fixed, so to say, into the most 
valuable of the plants grown for man's use or delight. We have no 
more powerful means of improvement of vegetable forms. All the 
care, food, and protection given to plants may make them larger and 
finer, but only selection among many of the same kind, with the help 
of heredity, can fashion an enduring race of plants with special good 
qualities for our farms, gardens, or orchards. Chance seeding may yield 
some very good finds, as sometimes a good hit is made by shooting at 
random . But no good marksman will, even after the luckiest of chance 
shots, dispense with the use of his eyes and judgment for the rest of 
the day. In the same way no experienced raiser will trust to chance 

10 



PEDIGREE IN HORTICULTURE. 11 

in the choice of the seed from which he expects some precious results. 
He will gather it from one plant seen among many, and will have good 
reasons to show for his choice. 

It is plain that selection was not at all times done with such thought 
and skill as it is now : but ever since plants have been cultivated an 
evident improvement has been going on for our benefit, and fixed and 
valuable races of field plants, vegetables, flowers, and fruits were known 
to the oldest nations and are mentioned by the oldest writers. Since 
the settlement of America a new field was opened for good work, which 
yielded a splendid crop of honor and profit to American as well as to 
European cultivators, and through them to their respective countries. 

Let any one who doubts the high value of selection look at our fine 
races of cabbages, kales, cauliflowers, kohlrabi, and rutabaga, and com- 
pare them with the wild cabbage of our western shores of Europe ; let 
him compare our fine garden beets and our mangels to the wild beet of 
the Mediterranean shores ; let him compare the tomatoes and potatoes 
of to-day with the wild South American plants, — and he will see proof 
that only human thought and skill have brought about such wonderful 
changes— many of them in our own day, many, on the other hand, some 
hundreds of years in existence. In the tomato and potato we have two 
distinct examples of garden races, viz., (1) those which are increased 
from seeds, as the tomato, and (2) those which are increased by divi- 
sion of a plant, as the potato. 

Even where we divide the plant itself heredity is of some import- 
ance, as new varieties can be raised from seed only, and it is by no 
means indifferent to gather seeds meant for the purpose from one 
variety of potato or from another. Distinct groups of races are seen in 
the potato, as the rose tribe, to which the Early Rose, Late Rose, and 
many more can be referred. Just in the same way a nurseryman who 
sows pear pips in search of new varieties will take good care to take 
them from some old sort, the parentage of which gives good hope of 
success. It follows, then, that even where increase by division is the 
rule the knowledge of the quality and history of a plant may be of 
essential importance. 

What Heredity is. 

Where selection is done with skill and care the improvement of 
many kinds of cultivated plants effected by its means is invaluable. 
The large pansies, the huge hybrid gladioli, the large-flowered cannas, 
were all brought from the state of small flowers to their present excel- 
lence in our own day by careful observers, who, watching every varia- 



12 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

tion and keeping an exact record of the descent of all their plants, 
turn to the best account the wonderful action of heredity. 

That plants are endowed with the power of changing to some extent 
under altered and varying conditions no one will deny who knows even 
a little natural history. Such changes will occur in wild nature as 
well as under cultivation, and by the action of heredity will be trans- 
mitted more or less faithfully to the next generation. 

But an all-important fact must be recognized and remembered. It 
is that in the wild state only such variations have a chance of enduring 
as give the plant in which they occur some advantage in its life. 
Many variations appear every year which soon disappear, because they 
are a loss, not a gain, to the plant. Suppose in the wild state a potato 
plant with short stems and late-sprouting tubers in a mass at the base 
of the stem. Such a plant would not have any chance against rank 
growing and early shooting varieties, and it would soon perish. Still, 
some such characters belong to some of our best potatoes. This is 
owing to the action of man, who throws his power into the balance 
when cultivating plants which are useful or pleasant to him, and who 
gives the weakest plant, if it is for some reason a favorite with him, all 
the advantage he can to make it thrive and answer his purpose. Most 
of the variations induced in our garden plants are not in favor of the 
plant if in a " free fight " with its kind in nature. All our improved 
roots, as carrots, turnips, beets, make an early and succulent growth 
for our own benefit, but not at all for their own good. If left to their 
fate to struggle with their own wild forms they would soon have to 
take a "back seat " and very likely soon perish. It follows, then, that 
varieties improved from man's point of view must receive kind treat- 
ment and richer food than wild forms of the same plant. The culti- 
vated plant, like the domesticated animal, yields in a measure its 
powers of self-defense to adapt itself to our service. Man must in re- 
turn provide for its safety and nourishment. In the improvement of 
plants the action of man, much like influences which act on plants in 
the wild state, only brings about slow and gradual changes, often 
scarcely noticeable at first. But if the efforts toward the desired end 
be kept on steadily the changes will soon become greater and greater, 
and the last stages of the improvement will become much more rapid 
than the first ones. 

I may relate here, in a few words, an unpublished experiment which 
I have been conducting for more than twenty years, from 1872 to the 
present year. It has consisted in cultivating one of our parsley-worts 
(Anthriscus sylvestris), a European weed, in order to change its slender 



PEDIGREE IN HORTICULTURE. 13 

and much forked roots into fleshy, straight, and clean roots, say like 
those of the parsnip. Among the first batch of roots raised from wild 
seeds a dozen were selected with a tendency in their roots to larger and 
straighter bodies. Each root was planted separately and its seed har- 
vested separately. Of the dozen lots obtained eight or nine were dis- 
carded at once and roots were selected only in such lots as exhibited 
some trace of variation. Again, a dozen roots or so were chosen, a 
drawing made of each root, which was afterwards planted separately. 
I have sketches of all the roots selected, so that it is possible to follow 
all the stages of variation of each plant living at this day. For the 
first ten years the changes were slight, but now they are more and 
more marked with every generation, and in some of the lots the straight 
and smooth roots are the most numerous. 

My object was not to create a new vegetable, as the roots of Anthris- 
cus sylvestris have such a strong taste of camphor as to be quite un- 
eatable, but simply to show that careful and continuous selection could 
transform a wild plant in years that do not equal a quarter of the span 
of many human lives. Like results have been shown by my grand- 
father with the wild carrot, only its results were open to controversy as 
to possible crosses between garden varieties and the wild strain. No 
such objection can be raised in the case of my wood parsley-wort. 

How it Works. 

Althought heredity is an ever-present and active agent in the trans- 
mission of qualities and characteristics in organized beings, its mode of 
action is not so simple as at a first glance it might seem to be. That like 
breeds like is a commonly admitted fact, but there like must be taken 
in a rather broad sense, and the fact that some differences may occur 
between the parent and the offspring is at the bottom of all improve- 
ment of plants by selection. 

A being born from one or two of the same kind will be like his 
parent or parents. But if the parents, although of one kind, were not 
exactly like one another, how will the descendant look ? Will it take 
after the one or after the other, or blend the features of both ? And 
again, if^eachof the parents comes from two different ancestors, which of 
the four will take the lead in the form and character of the new being ? 

The network of lines of attraction which would induce a living 
organism, plant, or animal to be like every one of its ancestors can 
scarcely be unraveled. Still, the consideration of the various influences 
acting on an incipient organism can be pretty accurately summed up in 
direct heredity, which tends to make the new plant or animal to re- 



14 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

senible its immediate progenitors, and atavism, which induces it to be 
like the mass of its removed ancestors. I omit for the present the 
idiosyncrasy, which is the tendency in the new plant to combine the 
inherited characteristics in some special manner adapted to its own 
particular wants. If the parent was like its progenitors, then all the 
influences work the same way, and there is every chance of perfect 
lixity in the series of beings born in succession. But if the progenitors 
for one or more generations have swerved from the characteristics of 
the ancestors, heredity and atavism will come into conflict, and the out- 
come cannot be predicted surely. 

Some hints on probabilities may be had from an experiment con- 
ducted by my father on two varieties of the Lupinus hirsutus, the one 
with blue and the other with pink flowers. The conditions were in 
this case very well adapted to the study of the action of heredity, the 
flowers being in the lupine not only hermaphrodite, but also cleistoga- 
mous, so that a seed is the product of only one bloom of one plant. 
Two lots of seeds were sown to begin with, some of the blue and some 
of the pink strain. Most plants turned out true ; still, a few with pink 
flowers were found in the lot of blue, and conversely some blue among 
the pink ones. 

In the following year seeds of the true plants were sown again, and 
along with them seeds of the " rogues " found in each lot. In the lat- 
ter the greater proportion of plants followed the color of the parent 
plant, but a great many more showed the alternative color than was 
the case in the original lots. Seed from blue and pink flowered plants 
of the third generation were sown again, every possible combination in 
the relations of the ancestors as to color and distance being tried as 
much as possible and the number of blue and pink flowered plants 
being carefully noted in each case, and the experiment was carried on 
for several years. Though no exact rules can be arrived at from experi- 
ments with living things, from the tabulated results of the experiment 
the following inferences can be drawn : — 

1. The tendency to resemble its parents is generally the strongest 
in any plant. 

2. But it is notably impaired if coming into conflict with the ten- 
dency to resemble the bulk of the ancestors. 

3. This latter tendency (called atavism) is constant, though not very 
strong, and scarcely becomes impaired by a series of generations pass- 
ing by without a reversion to the ancestral type having taken place. 

4. On the contrary, the tendency to resemble a near progenitor 
(two or three generations only distant) very soon becomes obliterated 



PEDIGREE IN HORTICULTURE. 15 

if the said progenitor be different from the bulk of the ancestors. From 
this it will be seen that choice new races can be raised quickest aud 
with the smallest amount of labor where all needless conflict in the 
hereditary powers is avoided. 

How the Action of Heredity can Best be Turned to Account. 

But it may be rightly remarked here that it must be shown how 
variations can be obtained before we are shown how they can be made 
permanent. 

It is admitted by all observers that plants, being immovably fixed 
in the ground by their roots, and consequently prevented from seeking 
favorable and from avoiding untoward circumstances, are endowed by 
way of compensation with the power to adapt themselves to some ex- 
tent to different conditions as to soil and climate. The manner in 
which plants so adapt themselves is most admirable, but it is not here 
the place nor the time to consider it. Suffice it to say that the changes 
in the size, position, and anatomy of their various organs appear to be 
called up by rather than produced directly by the changed conditions. 
The important point in the present case is that variations in the special 
characteristics of a cultivated race may and do occur occasionally, and 
that such variations can be made permanent and still magnified by 
the process of selection. To wait for them to appear among seedlings 
is the simplest and most ordinary process. But their appearance can 
be hastened and made more probable by the selection of seeds from a 
plant showing already some trace of variation, or by means of a cross 
with some other variety of the same species. As soon as a distinct 
variation has made its appearance the work of selection begins. The 
essential thing is to secure a deviation from the old type of the plant 
under experiment. It matters little whether such deviation takes 
place in the desired direction or not. Some authors even advise the 
experimenter to look for any change at the first stage, and at the next 
one for the greatest possible deviation from the first change in any 
direction except a reversion to the old type. This may be useful as far 
as the appearance of new forms is concerned, but if adhered to too long 
it might make the fixation of the new forms rather difficult and slow 
by breeding continuity out of the new race. 

Whatever the cause of the original variation was, action of the plant's 
own tendency to vary, or some external cause, or a cross of pollen, the 
next thing to be done is to make the variation permanent by selection. 
This is sometimes very easy, the new form becoming at once perfectly 
true and fixed. A case in point occurred several years ago in my trial 



16 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

grounds at Verrieres. One plant of Clarkia elegans with pure white 
double flowers was discovered among a number of the same species 
with double purple flowers. It was singled out of the seed sown the 
next year, when every plant raised gave only double white blooms, and 
it has never since been known to give any but pure white flowers. If 
such cases were of common occurrence they would make the task of the 
breeder of new varieties a very easy one. Unfortunately, they are very 
rare exceptions, and the tendency of new seedling forms is rather 
to revert frequently and rapidly to the original type. Great attention 
and vigilance must be exerted to counterbalance this tendency to 
reversion. The best and most useful plan is not to mix together the 
seeds of the selected plants in case several were singled out, but to sow 
the seed of each separately, as the several plants selected may be 
endowed in a very unequal degree with the power of transmitting their 
own characteristics to their progeny. Now, the principal object and the 
principal effect of selection, if well conducted, is to effect a complete 
transmission of the qualities we seek of any given race. Its aim must 
be, in consequence, to eliminate any plant which is not fit to reproduce 
itself " true." 

It is often observed that in such cases, when the seeds of several 
plants selected in the same batch of seedlings are sown side by side and 
separately, the one will come up true with only a very few or no 
" rogues " at all, while others will give a very medley of plants. If 
further selection be made only from the lot that came up true, the new 
variety may be considered as already fixed ; whereas many years of 
cultivation and " roguing " maybe required to bring it to anything 
like purity if progenitors be taken from the lots in which numerous 
variations occurred. Fixity of character is of great importance to 
garden and field plants grown from seed, and the tendency to fixity 
should be inbred in plants just as the tendency to earliness or to hardi- 
ness. The power of transmitting their own qualities to their progeny 
is just as hereditary as any other qualification, and no effort should be 
spared to make it one of the points of a new race. Breeding from 
single progenitors appears, so far, to be the safest and shortest way to 
the proposed end. 

Cross-breeding greatly increases the chance of wide variation, but it 
makes the task of fixation more difficult. It, however, gives the 
raiser the only means in his possession to unite in one the qualities of 
two different plants while discarding their weak points. All the differ- 
ent qualities of the two parents seem to unite in the most varied com- 
binations in the cross-bred products. In this way plants are often found 



PEDIGREE IN HORTICULTURE. 17 

which inherit most of the good points of both parents, while some 
others sum up the defects of both. This I repeatedly observed in rear- 
ing cross bred wheats. An occurrence not unfrequently observed in 
cross-bred plants is that some character belonging to one of the parents 
is magnified in the progeny. For an instance, Mr. Charles Naudin 
observed in crossing daturas that the cross of a slightly prickly variety 
with another kind that had smooth stems resulted in the raising of a 
decidedly prickly hybrid. 

In framing the character of the progeny the action of each parent is 
often very unequal, according to the power of each in transmitting its 
characters. The one that is better endowed in that respect stamps its 
features more firmly on the cross bred plant. Discussions have arisen 
on the influence of the male and of the female progenitor on a cross. 
I believe that the stronger organism of the two, the one rather which 
is better endowed with the power to transmit its characters, will pre- 
dominate in the progeny whether it comes from the male or the female 
parent. 

One trait that makes the fixation of cross-bred plants difficult is in 
some characters of both parents breaking out in different parts of one 
and the same plant, instead of being, as we could wish, blended 
together. In cross-bred peas, for instance, which were raised from a 
white-seeded and a green-seeded parent, it often occurs that at the second 
or third generation pods are produced which contain mixed white and 
green seeds. In the same manner round and wrinkled seeds are found 
in the same pod. This is a great difficulty and an almost sure sign of 
further variation, as a plant showing such breaks cannot be depended 
upon to give rise to a uniform progeny. In many similar instances re- 
corded in my books of experiments the green peas gave plants with white 
seeds and the white ones with green. You can scarcely expect a plant 
which is not constant in its own parts to be constant in its progeny. 

The unity in character of any single plant is the main factor in the 
work of pedigree or grade breeding, and I wish to lay especial stress on 
that point, which I think of paramount importance. The considera- 
tion of the qualities or defects of a plant taken as a whole, not of 
minor parts, should guide the raiser in his work. Of this I am con- 
vinced from experience, and I may be permitted to give a few facts in 
support of my opinion. 

The advice is often given in horticultural books to take the seeds 

from some particular portion of the seed-bearing plant in order to 

secure a better result. In German stocks, for instance, it is a common 

belief that the seeds of pods taken from the middle or from the base of 

2 



18 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

the main stem will give a larger proportion of plants with double 
flowers than if taken from the top of the same or from side shoots. I 
many times tested the idea, and it always proved a fallacy. All the 
pods on a plant give an almost exactly equal proportion of plants with 
double and single flowers, no matter what part of the plant they may 
be gathered from. 

A real difference is in the percentage of single and double flowers 
from various plants of the same variety. In this way very wide dif 
ferences sometimes occurj but not in the case of seeds taken from vari- 
ous parts of the same plant. I tried an experiment with seeds of 
Chrysanthemum carinatum gathered on double, single, and semi- 
double heads, all growing on one plant, and found no difference what 
ever in the proportion of single and double-flowered plants. In striped 
verbenas an unequal distribution of the color is often noticed ; some 
heads are pure white, some of a self-color, and most are marked with 
colored stripes on white ground. I had seeds taken severally from all 
and tested alongside one another. The result was the same. All the 
seeds from one plant, whatever the color of the flower that bore them, 
gave the same proportion of plain and variegated flowers. No more 
proof, I think, need be given that selection, which is all-important in 
the case of seeds from different plants, is of no importance as regards 
the different parts of any one plant on which seeds may be borne. 

No limit can be fixed as to the improvements which may be ex- 
pected from care, thought, and selection. The gains of the last dozen 
years may surely be taken as the forerunners of better things. It is 
clear that no very important additions to our cultivated plants are to 
be expected now from the discovery of new species, but an unlimited 
field opens before the raiser of new and improved forms in all our 
garden flowers and in fruits and vegetables. The recent success of 
European raisers of new begonias, of hybrid gladioli, and of large- 
flowered cannas are equaled by the gains of the American raisers of 
chrysanthemums, of garden beets, and of tomatoes. I may add by 
way of conclusion that much good may be expected from the more 
and more frequent exchange of strains between the old and the new 
world. Such complete changes of soil and of climate frequently give 
rise to variation, and so, either by subtle changes one cannot see the 
cause of, or by well considered crosses, American and European varie- 
ties of our useful or beautiful plants may give rise in their turn to 
more numerous and useful variations than would have occurred had 
these races been confined exclusively to the country of their origin. 



SELECTION IN ITS RELATION TO SEED 
GROWING. 

BY C. L. ALLEN, New York. 

[Read before the Seedsmen's Session of the World's Fair Horticultural 
Congress, Chicago.] 

SELECTION, from the seedsman's standpoint, means more than a 
choice of samples, or more even than a preference of types in 
the various classes of vegetables or flowers, whether it is in re- 
gard to shape, size, color, or in its relation to earliness or lateness in 
development, as may he desired. Neither has it any connection with 
the popular theory of what is known as "natural selection," " the 
survival of the fittest," that active principle of evolution which was 
cradled in the fertile mind of that distinguished philosopher, De 
Lamarck, and by the late Charles Darwin developed into the " origin 
of species." 

To the seedsman selection is not a cause, but an effect, and in its ap- 
plication to his business it is of vital importance ; in fact, it is the 
foundation upon which the superstructure of business success is com- 
pleted. In the development of a type, selection is the principal agent 
employed, but doubly important is its office in preserving a type after 
it is secured. There are two separate and distinct principles in selec- 
tion, and the two are antagonistic ; they are both methodical, but for 
entirely different purposes. In the one instance we select with a view 
of the greatest possible increase in seed production, and in the other 
just the opposite. In our cereals selections are made to produce the 
greatest amount of seed with the least possible amount of straw. To 
that end, in the best wheat-growing sections, the longest and best 
filled heads are carefully selected ; and those, too, in which the grains 
are the heaviest for seed purposes. The seed thus saved is given every 
possible aid to reproduction by growing it on soil best adapted to its 
development ; by giving each plant sufficient room to grow strong, 
rather than tall ; and by furnishing plant food proportionate to its 

19 



20 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

necessities. At the proper time, if the same careful selection is again 
made and the same care in cultivation given, there will result another 
marked improvement, both in size and productiveness of the grain. 
This operation oft repeated will establish a type superior to that from 
which the first selection was made. To preserve that type the same 
care must be given that was necessary to produce it. 

The same rule holds good in the selection of Indian corn, an im- 
portant work that is generally overlooked. It is the common practice 
to select the best ears for seed at the time of husking, which is a step 
in the right direction ; yet this practice is attended with many disad- 
vantages, and does not, as a rule, accomplish the purpose intended. 
In this method the largest ears are selected, of which there is usually 
but one ear on a stalk ; besides, there is no certainty about selecting 
such ears as ripen at the same time, which is a matter of great im- 
portance. It is possible for a weak plant to produce a large ear, and 
it is very common for a plant of bad habit to do so. It is but natural 
to suppose that the grains of stunted and sickly corn, even though the 
ears may attain a large size, necessarily partake of the weak constitu- 
tion of the plant that produced them, and that to reproduce from such 
would only be to encourage bad habits. For this reason ears should 
be selected before the stalks are cut, choosing those on which there 
are two well-formed ears on the stalk, which should be of low 
growth and well furnished with leaves, and the ears set near to the 
ground. The whole plant should, by the length and breadth of the 
leaves and the vigor of the stalk, indicate perfect health. Earliness 
should always be combined with productiveness ; therefore, the first 
ears to ripen, when all other conditions are favorable, are the ones to 
select in the line of improvement. All should be gathered at the 
same time, in order that there may be uniformity in ripening, united 
with earliness, which is of the greatest importance in developing 
a variety. 

This may suffice to show the method of selection, where the object 
is to produce the greatest amount of perfectly developed grains or 
seeds from a given acreage, to be employed as food. With this object 
in view it is needless to state that nearly all seeds will reproduce 
themselves more freely if sown as quickly as possible after maturity. 
This is shown plainly by the way weeds reproduce themselves, the 
seeds of which are sown as soon as ripened. But in selection for vege- 
tables, where seeds are only used to reproduce the plant, the opposite 
course must be pursued, and forms must be chosen that produce as 
little seed as possible. This is particularly noticeable with the Eng- 



SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 21 

lish-grown cucumbers, which are,- from nature's standpoint, degenerate 
forms, as they do not reproduce themselves except by artificial fertil- 
ization. This comes from their having been grown for a long series 
of years under unnatural conditions. 

All species of the natural order, Cucurbitaceas, to which the cucum- 
ber belongs, finds a congenial home in warm climates and on dry soils. 
The farther they are removed from these conditions the less seed they 
will produce, and the vitality of which will be proportionately lower. 
At the same time nature is always true to her first principle, self-pre 
servation. To that end greater protection is given to the germs of 
future generations. 

The outer covering of seeds is for their preservation or protection 
while in the infant state, and at maturity these coverings dry up or 
decay and disappear. These coverings are adapted by nature to the 
plant's necessities ; if but little protection is required, only little will 
be given. With all vine seeds, the less seed there is produced the 
greater is its value for the production of the crop, as the flesh is the 
part consumed ; and it invariably follows that the greater amount of 
the one, the less there will be of the other. Therefore, the best fruits 
of the vine family are those with the least or lowest reproductive 
qualities. Gardeners with keen observation note the fact that the 
older melon, cucumber, and squash seeds, are — without having lost 
their germinating power — the better, as the proportion of flesh to the 
seed is greater, and the vines are more productive of fruit and less in- 
clined to throw out branches. The older the seed the lower is its 
vitality, and the greater is nature's effort to preserve it. As the care- 
ful mother doubly protects the feeble child against cold, so Mother 
Nature protects the seeds of low vitality with extra covering. The 
melon has more flesh when grown from old seed, because of its low 
vitality. 

The same is notably true with the egg plant, which is a native of 
North Africa and the East Indies. In these warm climates the fruit 
grows from four to five inches in diameter, and abounds with seed, 
filling the flesh nearly to the rind. As its cultivation extends north- 
ward the fruit increases in size, while the amount of seed diminishes. 
Thus, Nature guards her productions by enlarging the pericarp or fruit, 
in order that the seeds may be better protected against cold, which 
would destroy their vitality. The variety known as the New York 
Improved Purple, grown from seeds raised as far north as New York 
City, yield a crop, both as regards size and quantity, far in excess of 
the plants grown from seeds produced in the Southern States. The 



22 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

reason for this is obvious. Nature, being a strict economist, does not 
work in the interest either of the seedsman or the market gardener. 
Her object and sole aim is to preserve and perpetuate the species ; and 
when the plant has furnished the proper amount of seed nothing 
further is required of it. If a plant grown in a temperate climate pro- 
duces in a single fruit only one-fourth the quantity of seeds which it 
usually yields in a warm climate, it follows that four times the num- 
ber of fruits must be produced to accomplish the desired result. And 
this is what the egg plant does at the North, when raised from 
Northern-grown seed. As before stated, plants from Northern-grown 
seed produce more fruit but less seed ; so, too, is the seed less vigor- 
ous. Long Island-grown seed will rarely test above sixty in germinat- 
ing, when fresh ; besides, nearly all Northern-grown seeds of this 
variety of egg plant are small and shrunken, while that grown at the 
South is large and plump, and will invariable give a more satisfactory 
test of germination. As is the case with many other kinds of vege- 
tables, the conditions that are favorable for the production of the fruit 
are unfavorable for the production of good samples of seed and a yield 
satisfactory to the grower. 

A more familiar illustration of this principle may be seen in the 
history of the development of the cabbage. Changes in form, through 
climatic influences, are shown to have been greater in this than with 
any other vegetable. In a wild state the parent of our cultivated 
forms of cabbage has but few leaves, which are loosely arranged, but 
all that are necessary to protect the germ of the coming season's growth, 
which is to produce seed for the perpetuation of the species. When 
taken to a colder climate more protection becomes necessary. This is 
furnished by additional leaves, which are of a finer texture and more 
compactly arranged. The result of this care is the solid heads of our 
present varieties of cabbages. From two or three distinct types intro- 
duced from Holland early in this century a large number of varieties, 
more or less distinct, have been produced wholly by careful, and, in 
many instances, systematic selection.; To more clearly illustrate this 
principle let us note some of the points in the development of forms, 
where the cabbage is grown to the greatest perfection. Long Island is 
probably the most congenial home of the cabbage to be found in this 
or any other country. Nowhere else is it so generally grown or of a 
better quality. And here is where the greatest number of truly dis- 
tinct varieties have originated. There is probably a greater variety of 
soil to be found in close proximity here than in any other part of our 
country. On the one side is a heavy but triable loam, capable of pro- 



SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 23 

daring enormous crops. On the other side it is of a light, sandy 
character, with but little recuperative strength. Intermediate is, in 
sections, a turfy and sandy loam, and beneath all is a gravelly sub- 
soil, a condition best suited for cabbages. 

In most countries there are certain districts and some particular 
farms which are famous for the production of some special crop and 
where the same is extensively cultivated. In such localities there are 
usually to be found some men who are leaders in their principal in- 
dustry ; they are regarded as authorities and their advice is taken on 
all matters that pertain to their calling. This is the case on Long 
Island in regard to cabbage, where certain farmers possessing a re- 
markable degree of intelligence, and who are close observers and 
thinkers as well as workers, have made the growing of cabbage a spe- 
ciality. These men have made selection as a choice in regard to form 
and habit a study. They have chosen for a purpose, either as regards 
earliness or lateness, or for the development of a desired form. Per- 
sistent labor and watchful care in this direction have been the means 
of producing the best strains or varieties of cabbage in- cultivation. 

While variations of climate produce wonderful changes in vegetable 
forms, it is a well-established fact that any vegetable grown in a given 
soil will assume a very different form when grown on either a heavier 
or a lighter one. This has been shown in a remarkable degree with 
the cabbage. A given variety grown lor a long number of years on a 
heavy soil, with a liberal supply of plant food, proper care in growing 
the plants and in transplanting them, and constant cultivation until the 
crop is matured, will develop a type remarkable for size and vigor, with 
excellent keeping qualities, and be what is known as a Late Flat Dutch 
or Drumhead cabbage. On the other hand, tqke the same stock seed, 
grow it on a light sandy soil, under the same climatic influences, with 
the same care in cultivation, always selecting with a view to earliness 
and solidity and the result will be in the same number of years a 
variety of the same general form but of smaller size and very much 
earlier. Again, a soil intermediate in character, from the same stock, 
during the same period, with the same care in selection, will give a 
variety intermediate in character as well as in period of growth. Un- 
der such conditions have been produced the several varieties introduced 
from Long Island. 

It is an established principle in agriculture that a sandy soil is favor- 
able for an early growth, and a heavy soil for a continuous growth. 
Early and late, large and small, varieties are not to be expected from 
the same soil and under the same conditions of growth, both natural 



24 SELECTION IN SEED GEO WING. ' 

and artificial. It must of necessity take a longer time to grow a head 
of cabbage weighing twenty pounds than one half the size. I have 
thus far spoken of the development of the cabbage by selection under 
natural conditions, but there are other methods employed by the 
specialists. These are of an artificial character and have been material 
helps in selection. When these specialists harvest their stock seed 
they examine each plant carefully before cutting it, and if the seed is 
of large size it is rejected, because they hold that such seeds will make 
leaves instead of heads. Besides that, these men will not use seed 
until it is at least three years old ; for the same reason they will not use 
large seed. This statement corroborates my assertion " that the con- 
ditions favorable for the production of the fruit are unfavorable for the 
production of a good sample of seed." I may, however, add that a 
handsome sample is not always a good sample, always excepting in- 
stances, as in the cereals, where the seed is the part consumed. 

In the whole list of garden vegetables there is none so susceptible to 
improvement as the tomato ; none better pays good attention ; none 
shows neglect jnore quickly, both in quantity and quality of fruit. It 
is, moreover, capable, by careful selection, of the highest development, 
and will as quickly deteriorate if the same care in selection that was 
given to produce a variety is not continually employed to preserve it. 
It is generally supposed that the varieties have a natural tendency to 
deteriorate, which makes it necessary to be constantly oh the watch for 
new varieties, which have their parentage in cross-fertilization and are 
developed by selection. This theory is both absolutely true and wholly 
false, although this statement may seem paradoxical. I have 
endeavored to show the marked effect upon vegetable growth of 
climatic influences, together with the character of the soil. But the 
tomato is more sensitive to change than any other vegetable with which 
I am acquainted, and it is more erratic, too, than any other. On my 
own grounds I have had the Ignotum, since its first introduction, and 
with me it is the most perfect and most desirable of any of the vast 
number of varieties. It is perfectly smooth, of good size, ripens evenly 
and well up to the stem, the substance is more solid than that of most 
others and is perfectly tender. An intelligent grower in this section 
has given it special attention for seed purposes, and it continues to grow 
in favor. From the same seed bed for the past two seasons plants were 
taken a distance of ten miles and grown on nearly the same character 
of soil, and under precisely the same conditions of climate, while the 
cultivation in the two sections was alike of the highest order, but here 
this variety was a total failure ; the fruit was deeply ribbed, irregular 



SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 25 

in shape, ripened irregularly, and the vines grew in all manner of ways, 
produced but little fruit, and this was worthless. Mr. Hallock, the 
successful grower, states that he has heard similar reports from other 
sections. 

On the other hand, during the past two years I have visited two 
gardens, at least one hundred and fifty miles apart, where since the 
Trophy was first introduced no other variety lias been grown, and during 
the twenty-five years this variety has constantly grown in favor. The 
fruits are more even in size and shape ; they ripen up to the stem per- 
fectly, and, what is more important, they ripen to the center and pro- 
duce but little seed. A fault with this tomato when first introduced 
was that it did not ripen to the center, which was invariably a little 
hard . 

These two instances are related to justify my assertion that there is 
and is not a natural tendency toward deterioration. What they may 
or may not be depends wholly upon circumstances. This theory being 
established, what is the lesson ? Plainly, that, especially for seed pur- 
poses, the tomato should never be grown excepting under conditions 
where, with good cultivation, it will remain true to type. That there 
is a great difference in varieties in this respect cannot be questioned. 
For instance, where the Ignotum signally failed the Trophy and the 
Favorite were both satisfactory. This is one of the difficulties the 
seedsman has to encounter, and for which there is no preventive. But 
there is one thing he does or should know — viz., the price usually paid 
the grower is not in harmony with the principle of selection, but rather 
the actual cause of deterioration. Difficult as the problem may be of 
solution, it is evident that the best directed efforts are not always 
crowned with success, and that the best possible selection for a given 
locality may be disappointing in another. 

Few vegetables show so great a change in their eating qualities as 
our sweet corn. There are, relatively, but few localities where it 
reaches its limit of perfection. Selection of place, to secure'the best, 
is quite as important as to select with the view of an improved type. 
It is poorest when grown on a light, sandy soil, and best when grown 
in a moderately heavy loam and disintegrated shale. To show how the 
soil affects quality, take an ear grown in Connecticut, its congenial 
home, and plant one-third of its grain on the sandy soil of Long Island, 
one-third on the heavy soil, and the remainder where it grew, and there 
will be three distinct qualities. The same grown but a few years 
in the southern sections of our country develops a distinct and worth 
less type as a vegetable. What is true of the vegetables mentioned is 



26 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

true of all others, which shows the importance of selection in all its 
phases. 

It has often been demonstrated that when any given type has been 
developed by selection, either rapidly or slowly, under favorable con 
ditions of soil and climate, it will as rapidly revert when grown under 
reversed conditions. It is also true that any form that will materially 
revert when grown under changed conditions for a few years will pro- 
portionately change in one year. This will, in a measure, account for 
the deterioration of varieties where the stock seed has been grown 
under different conditions from where the type originated. In most in- 
stances one year's growth will not materially change a type, but in all 
cases where a type is to be preserved it requires the same care in selec- 
tion and cultivation and other conditions under which it originated. 

Many persons maintain that a renewal or change of seeds is abso- 
lutely necessary. This may or may not be so. All depends upon cir- 
cumstances. In a locality where a certain type can easily be kept up 
and improved by selection a change of seed is not only unnecessary, but 
unwise, and the only safe course to pursue is to procure stocks from a 
locality where it reaches the greatest perfection — it matters not 
whether it be in our own State, country, or continent. 

In a country so vast and varied as ours, where the setting sun of the 
East is the rising sun of the West ; where in the North there is rarely 
a month without a frost and at the South rarely a month with one ; 
where the soil in one locality is the most productive, in another the 
reverse, and this same, too, in close proximity — the seedsman has 
difficulties to contend with that are entirely unknown in any other 
country. He must have a knowledge of selection sufficient to enable 
him to choose from every section of country such types as are best 
adapted to its various conditions of climate and soil. This is no easy 
task when, as demonstrated, varieties show such marked changes, when 
grown but a few miles apart, apparently with the same climatic influ- 
ences, and where there is but little difference in the character of the 
soil. The aim of the seedsman is to procure the best quality at the 
least possible cost, but in their efforts competition is an antagonistic 
force that is quite apt to counteract the best motives. 



SEED GROWING IN DENMARK. 

BY J. PEDEBSEN-BJERGAARD, of Copenhagen. 

[Portions of a Papee Read Before the Seedsmen's Session ov The World's 
horticulturax congress, chicago, august 17. 1893.] 

THE time at my disposal will only allow me to touch upon some of 
the host ascertained facts and such methods of investigation 
and experiment as have led to progress and improvement in 
various ways, and which, I hope, will be found of practical value to 
the horticultural and agricultural world in general. 

Denmark being preeminently an agricultural country, the growing 
of grain has all through her history been one of the most important 
pursuits other population. Until dairy farming commenced to attain 
its present high development, a very great proportion of the grain grown 
was carried off from the farm, and its exportation to foreign countries 
formed the chief source of the national revenue. Now the greater part 
of the production of grain is consumed on the farm for stock feeding 
and for transformation into the more valuable dairy products, while 
the fertility of the soil is being kept up or even improved by means of 
the greatly enlarged and well fed stocks of cattle and other domestic 
animals. 

But the importance of the best possible grain-crops has not dimin- 
ished, but rather increased, by the said radical change in the system 
of farming. Any attempt at improvement of the cereals or improved 
methods of utilizing them has, therefore, found a hearty support from 
the proper authorities and been readily appreciated by practical agri- 
culturists. Private endeavors in this direction had been made for 
some time, and new varieties of different cereals had to some extent 
been introduced, but more extensive, thorough, and well-planned efforts 
for improving the cereal products may be dated from 1880, when the 
Royal Danish Agricultural Society (the Danish name of which is 
Det kongelige danske Landhus-holdnings selskab) appointed a com- 
mittee for instituting cultural and maltiug experiments in order to solve 

27 



28 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

a great number of questions relating to the most profitable production 
of malt- barley. Two years later, in 1882, a similar committee was 
appointed by the said Society with the view of planning and conduct- 
ing comparative field experiments, and grinding and baking tests, 
with a number of critically chosen varieties of w T heat. At the start, 
the wheat committee had two objects in view : First, to point out the 
varieties of wheat which, with the greatest possible productiveness, 
might combine the best possible general quality and hardiness to the 
frosts of winter ; and, secondly, to throw light upon the influence of the 
conditions relating to the cultivation of the growing crop in the direc- 
tion of promoting or diminishing the desired quality. 

Oats occupy by far the largest area of the cereal crops in Denmark, 
almost nine times as large as the wheat or the malt-barley crop, and 
nearly twice as large as the crop of other barley or of rye. The crop 
being of so comparatively great importance, untiring efforts have been 
made for a number of years to discover new and better varieties or im- 
prove older, good sorts, by good cultivation and strict selection of stock 
grain. Almost every variety of European and American origin has 
been tested. Very prominent for large yield both of straw and grain 
of excellent quality are two well-developed varieties : " Grenaa " and 
' ' Island ' ' oats, both of Danish origin. ' ' Provsti ' ' oats of good strains, 
" Beseler " " Bestehorn,' n and "Heine" oats have all proved themselves 
very productive. 

******** 

As dairy -farming more and more became the chief agricultural source 
of revenue in Denmark, it soon became evident that successful dairy- 
farming could not be carried on without a liberal feeding with roots 
during the winter. Prominent practical agriculturists and the agri- 
cultural press have used every opportunity to convince the masses of 
less wide-awake farmers of the well-ascertained fact that by no other 
means, by the growing of no other kind of crop, can such large quanti- 
ties of just the right kind of nourishment for milch cows or for rearing 
pigs and fattening live stock be produced. The areas of land devoted 
to the growing of root crops have, in consequence of this sound teaching 
and the conspicuous good results attained by its practice, year by year 
increased at a considerable rate. 

Originally, root seeds were exclusively imported from foreign 
countries, but soon a movement was set about by private parties, liber- 
ally supported by patriotic institutions, for home production of seed of 
the most popular varieties of roots, and for ascertaining which were 
the most valuable for different soils, and how they could be developed 



SEED GROWING IN DENMARK. 29 

to greater perfection with regard to uniformity of type and habit, 
greater productiveness, etc. Gradually some of the most popular 
varieties of mangolds, especially, have been considerably improved, 
by breeding out the tendency to " run to seed," "long necks," and 
" side roots," etc. 

A very important question arose a few years ago, namely : as to the 
methods to pursue in order to produce roots with a higher percentage of 
dry substance, and consequently of sugar, the most important ingredi- 
ent, to which the various root-crops owe their value. A wide aud 
rational view was taken of this subject. The plans for experiments 
and investigations were very practical, and aimed at ascertaining the 
following points for each variety or strain included in the experiments, 
viz.: 1, The quantity, the number of cwts., harvested from a given 
area ; 2, average weight of the roots from different soils ; 3, the spe- 
cific weight of the roots and their contents in percentage of dry sub- 
stance ; 4, the percentage of sugar of each variety or strain of roots 
for several years. 
**#**-::- * * * * 

The bulk of a root crop is only one side of the question. The main 
question is : How can the farmer produce the greatest possi- 
ble QUANTITY OF VALUABLE NOURISHMENT, IN THIS CASE SUGAR, 
for his milch-cows and other lire-stock on a certain area, at the lowest pos- 
sible cost? 

In order to illustrate the importance of keeping an eye on the actual 
contents of nutrient matter in the roots, I beg permission to adduce two 
extreme examples : A lot of mangold seed of the Long Yellow variety, 
imported from Scotland, and distributed among Danish farmers in 



WE have arranged with Mr. Pedersen=Bjergaard that upon his arrival 
in Denmark he should secure for us a few cwt. of seed of either 
the new Mangel or new Sugar Beet, for cattle feeding, to which 
reference is here made. We have left it to his judgment upon further in= 
quiry as to the results of the Danish crops of roots this year to decide 
which would be the better variety to introduce in America. At the time 
of going to press we have not yet learned which he has secured, but can 
rely upon his sending us seed of one or the other. A packet of this seed 
will be sent gratuitously to any reader of this book interested in the im= 
portant subject of root crops for stock feeding who will cut off this portion 
of the book with his name and address on the opposite side, agreeing to 
carefully test same. W. A. B. & CO. 



30 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

1892, gave the large yield of 945 cwt. of roots per acre on a clayey soil ; 
the sugar percentage was 3.8, and the calculated quantity of sugar per 
acre was 36. 3 cwt. Now another example : A new variety of mangold, 
produced in Denmark by rational crossing and careful breeding for a 
number of years, a variety not yet named and not yet brought into the 
market, produced 777 cwt. of roots per acre, which, to a superficial 
view, would indicate an inferiority in yield to the Long Yellow of 
about 18 per cent. But the percentage of sugar in this unnamed new 
variety was 9.3 per cent, and the production of sugar per acre — 
calculated upon the basis of the yield of roots and the percentage of 
sugar — was 72 cwt., practically double the quantity produced by the 
Long Yellow. Another new variety — a sugar-beet for stock-feeding, 
grown under the same conditions as the Long Yellow, and in the same 
year— yielded 407 cwt. of roots per acre ; the analysis showed 10.4 
per cent, of sugar, and the production of sugar per acre was 42.5 cwt.* 
This seems to me a very interesting example of the value of scientific 
methods in practical agriculture. But for the analysis of the contents of 
sugar in the varieties of mangolds here compared, the Long Yellow would 
have been considered far superior to the sugar beet, the yield in bulk of 
which was only about 43 per cent, of that of the Long Yellow, and 
still the new sugar-beet produced 15.6 per cent, more sugar to the area 
occupied ; and then what a difference in the amount of work expended 
in lifting, transporting, storing, and feeding these two varieties of 
roots ! 

Besides the varieties of mangolds to which I have referred, several 
other new varieties of great promise have of late years been produced 
in Denmark. In developing these new varieties the aim has not only 



* See offer in foot-note on page 29. 

Jf ftJTO to thoroughly test seed of the new Mangel or 
Sugar Beet, for cattle feeding, from Denmark, to be sent 
me free by W. Atlee Burpee & Co. 



Name, 

P. O., 

County, State, 



SEED GROWING IN DENMAUK. 31 

been to increase the percentage of sugar, but the highest possible per- 
fection has been kept in view on the different points to which I have 
already referred. In choosing varieties for crossing the endeavor has 
been, alongside of other desirable properties, to develop a habit of 
growth of the roots above the ground, which greatly facilitates the harvest- 
in;/ of the crop in a clean .state, in contradistinction from those varieties 
that penetrate deeply into the soil, which involves much more trouble 
and work in lifting. 

One of the seed-crops in Denmark that at the present day is best 
known and most generally appreciated outside of the boundaries 
of the little northern country is the cauliflower. For many years 
Denmark has produced steadily increasing quantities of cauliflower- 
seed of a superior quality. Formerly the crops of this seed were 
almost entirely disposed of to leading centers of the seed trade in 
Europe, whence the seeds were distributed to various parte of the 
globe, but of recent years the larger and more prominent seed-mer- 
chants in different countries, and especially in the United States, have 
supplied their wants of this article direct from the source of produc 
tion. 

It must here be remarked that with a few exceptions only one variety 
of cauliflower is grown for seed in Denmark. The strains may differ, 
and will differ more or less according to the locality in which they are 
grown and the care bestowed upon the management of the crop. But 
however the strains may vary in some more or less essential respects, 
they almost all belong to one type, viz. : the Early Dwarf Erfurt. But 
the strains which, under varying conditions, may have developed may 
vary, sometimes considerably. It is a well-known fact among experi- 
enced cauliflower seed-growers that hardly any vegetable or cultivated 
plant is more liable to deviate and deteriorate. It requires skill and 
experience to select the proper type of plants for seed in order to keep 
up the high standard of the variety in point of earliness, dwarf habit, 
sure heading, size, solidity, grain; and pure white color of the head.* 

* During a visit to Denmark in 1887 we personally inspected fields of 
growing cauliflower in company with Mr. Pedersen-Bjergaard. We were most 
favorably impressed with the crop of one grower who had intelligently selected 
his strain of seed for sixteen years. This we arranged to secure, and to distin- 
guish this special strain introduced it in America as Burpee's Best Early. 
No cauliflower seed we have handled has given equal satisfaction, and each 
year since Mr. Pedersen-Bjergaard has carefully inspected the growing crop 
and seen that the quality was maintained in the seed. — W. A. B. A Co. 



32 SELECTION IN SEED GBO WING. 

As experience has proved, and as is now pretty generally known, 
the natural conditions of Denmark for growing cauliflower seed to the 
highest perfection are not surpassed, if equaled, in any other country, 
as far as the Early Dwarf Erfurt type of varieties is concerned. This 
is probably mainly due to the high northern latitude of the country, 
the near proximity of the salt water on all sides, and the compara- 
tively moist and cool state of the atmosphere. Whether the almost 
continual breezes from the surrounding seas have a share of influence 
in giving stamina to the seed I dare not assert, but think that such is 
very likely the case. 

It is a well-known fact that the further north the variety of cauli- 
flower seed here in question is grown and brought to perfect develop- 
ment, the better results will the seeds generally give, with regard to 
sure heading, early maturity, etc., than when sown in more southern lati- 
tudes, and warmer climates. 

The cauliflower ought to be much more generally grown by every 
farmer and every owner of even a small kitchen-garden than at present, 
and it ought to constitute a much more frequent part of the bill-of- 
fare in every household, rich or poor. It is one of the most nourishing, 
easily digestible, delicious, and easily and quickly prepared vegetables 
grown. There are scores of recipes for cooking this most delicate 
esculent. While cabbages require four and one-half hours for digestion, 
cauliflowers can be digested in the course of two hours, and may be 
enjoyed with benefit by persons to whom cabbage would be ruinous 
owing to week digestive organs. 

Although Denmark does not aspire to ever becoming recognized as 
one of the great seed producing countries of the world, and, indeed, 
must look to more genial climes for a great variety of seed for her 
own planting, yet, I think, horticulturists and agriculturists generally 
will agree that for the production of seed of the important vegetable 
last named, and of certain hard}'' and productive grains and valuable 
grasses for special purposes, the very situation and climate of Denmark 
give her peculiar advantages. 



AMERICAN SEED GROWING. 

By C. C. MOKSE, of California. 

[Essay Read Before the Seedsmen's Session of the World's Auxiliary 
Horticultural Congress at Chicago, August 17, 1893.] 

IN the presentation of this paper it seems to me that an elaborate 
history of early-seed growing is not expected of me nor many de- 
tails of well-known and approved methods ; hut rather some criti- 
cisms upon some questionable practices, and commendation of such 
methods used by growers and seedsmen as should be approved, as well 
as what I believe to be some of the practical attainments of the near 
future. 

All will agree that great advancement has been made in the pro- 
duction and distribution of garden seeds within this generation, for 
seed growing is taking definite shape as rapidly as any science that is 
before the world to-day, aud I expect as many changes within the 
next decade as there has been in the last, accelerated with greater 
possibilities of development. 

Seed growing as a definite business has assumed its position within 
the memory of most of us. Years ago the gardener would save a little 
seed — some of it volunteer — some from roots never transplanted ; all 
from unknown types and unknown varieties ; and frequently after 
using the best vegetable crop the poorest would be allowed to go to seed 
and the product then sold or bartered with the neighbors for other 
kinds grown in the same manner. Of course, there were exceptions 
to this rule, for some gardeners would intelligently select the best 
vegetables, having the points of excellence well in mind, and would 
continue to select and grow some good seed, and would improve the 
types as fast as nature would permit. 

The limited custom of distributing seeds would not admit of much 
profit to the grower, nor of any extended information to the people, 
especially to those most interested, since the seed business was carried 
on in a small, local manner, and the people were not informed by care- 
fully written catalogues, nor by men traveling over the country in 
the interest of seed houses. 

3 33 



34 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

Only a short time ago carrot seed was delivered with the beards on, 
and a very poor sample too ; and lettuce seed was poorly cleaned, when 
half the hulk can now he sent to the chaff pile. In my observations I 
have seen some growers practicing some things too near the ancient 
methods to be approved. I have noticed some growing cabbage seed 
without transplanting after it had headed, and others marketing the 
head and growing seed from the stump. Some planted onions that 
had the appearance of having never matured, and allowed lettuce to 
grow so thickly that the plant could show no definite character, — it 
would seem with the purpose of producing seed only, rather than pro- 
moting the quality of the vegetable. 

Nature has provided that the coarsest, hardiest, nearest approach to 
the wild nature will be the most abundant in the production of seed, 
while the finest grain and finest flavor will be very shy in producing 
seed ; and the grower will not proceed very far before he will discover 
that the best vegetable seed cannot be produced as cheaply as the 
poorest. The difference is very great, and as long as competition is in 
price, instead of quality, progress will be greatly hindered, and the 
efforts of many seedsmen to obtain their supply lowers the cost of 
growing good seed and will be the greatest hindrance to advancing the 
quality of many kinds of vegetables. 

The present custom of publishing fine catalogues is doing more to 
educate the people than any other custom that is before the world to- 
day. There may be some very extravagant things said in some cata- 
logues, but they will not be harmful in the end, as they will teach all 
interested the trend of what is wanted by the public, and enable the 
producer to cultivate in that direction. These fine catalogues, the 
system of trial grounds in use by the large houses, the system of large 
growers subdividing their farms into specialties, each with a foreman, 
an expert in his division, and the growing conviction that each kind 
of seed should be produced in a climate where the vegetable attains 
the highest perfection,— these all tend to raise the character and qual- 
ity of the vegetable, as well as the sample of seed offered to the public. 

Every seedsman should have as complete a system of trial grounds 
as possible, where the vegetable can be grown to maturity, as it will 
quickly teach him who is supplying carefully grown seeds in an intel- 
ligent manner ; and the person in charge of such grounds should be a 
man of large and comprehensive ideas, and as free as possible from 
petty prejudices and favoritisms. 

it is not only to know that the seed germinates well ; furthermore, 
the finest strains are liable to be of weaker germination than the 



AMERICAN SEED GROWING. 35 

coarser varieties. It is not, however, the case with all kinds, and 
a practical seedsman knows where to draw the line. The demands of 
some seedsmen who expect seed to germinate nearly 100 per cent, arc 
a hardship and waste to the grower, and some accepted system should 
be devised whereby merchantable seed should be understood and 
agreed upon. 

If we are to increase the seed business, we are first to educate the 
people how to grow the vegetable in the best manner possible, both as 
regards productiveness and quality. To some extent vegetables resem- 
ble fruit — if of good quality and approved by the consumer Large 
quantities will be raised, and the better the vegetable the more sale- 
there is effected, and consequently more demand for the seed ; for ex- 
ample, careful selection has so improved one of our standard varieties 
of lettuce that it requires the product of thirty acres for our trade, 
while two acres seemed sufficient fifteen years ago, and I have no 
doubt the same increase will be expected on many of the other varie- 
ties if given the same attention. 

Take the history of the tomato as an article of food. Its introduc- 
tion is within the memory of some of our seedsmen, and now it takes 
its position with the potato and the cabbage as a common article of 
food, for by selection and hybridization it has been changed from the 
little pear-shaped ' ' love apple " to a magnificent fruit, affording a source 
of great profit to the farmer, gardener, and canner, who put it into the 
hands of millions of this generation as a delicious article of food, 
while it was entirely unknown to the generation that preceded us. 
Perhaps the same can be said of nearly every vegetable we grow. The 
introduction is not very remote, and the development to the present 
attainment belongs to this generation. 

Garden seed should and will be grown in a climate that is most 
favorable to the production of the vegetable. One favorable for the 
growth of vegetables where the seed is eaten (such as peas, beans, 
etc.) would be one that induced rapid growth, for we know that the 
seed is wanted as soon as possible after sowing, as it is the seed only 
that is sought by the gardener, and it would be difficult to get an 
early sort where vegetables grow slowly. For the class of vegetables 
of which the substance is eaten or used (such as lettuce, cabbage, 
cauliflower, etc.) a climate should be selected where the growth is 
slow, since the longer the period of running to seed the better, espe- 
cially so with lettuce and cabbage. If the seed stock in lettuce makes 
its appearance almost as soon as the lettuce is in head the result is very 
unsatisfactory, as the quality is regarded as very poor. 



36 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

In the climate of California (where my seed farms are located) let- 
tuce planted in December will grow fairly well all winter and spring, 
but will not run to seed before July or August, or only about as early as 
seed planted about Rochester in April. This long time in which seed 
may mature is very favorable to the character of the plant, and also 
for half- mature seed. 

Stock seed should never be saved in a year when the crop has suf- 
fered from hardship in any way, as it tends to run the vegetable 
toward the hardy side, instead of a fine grain and tender. Very choice 
vegetables only should be selected for stock seed, of just the type that 
the grower intends to perpetuate. The type once fixed, he should not 
deviate from it, and should be prepared when planting the stock seed, so 
that it will not be necessary to use a poor or injured crop. All vege 
tables of a root or bulb character should be grown to maturity in the 
best possible manner, and then taken from the ground to stop the root 
growth, so that when replanted there will be a fibrous growth, which 
is the proper development for biennials, and any effort to plant one 
kind of growth into the other has a tendency to run the plant toward 
the wild state. 

I believe there is to-day a very worthy and creditable competition 
in the seed trade to have the very best seeds, finest types, and hon- 
estly to distribute the same to their customers. The eagerness to seize 
upon any novelties that are offered seems to convince me that compe- 
tition in coming years will be solely on the improved vegetable. 

In conclusion allow me to say that California has assumed a very 
prominent position as a seed-producing location. The business of 
growing seed there was begun by R. W. Wilson, formerly of Roches- 
ter, N. Y., who began by growing a few acres of lettuce and onions in 
1875. From that day the growth of the industry has been most re- 
markable, until there is being grown to-day no less than 2500 acres of 
garden seeds, including in large variety onion, lettuce, cabbage, cauli- 
flower, celery, collards, beet, endive, salsify, parsley, parsnip, leek, 
spinach, tomato, radish, etc., besides several acres of flower seeds. 
raised by growers who make a definite business of it. In the southern 
part of the State a very large acreage is devoted to the culture of 
beans, including a large proportion of limas. 

My observation as a wholesale grower leads me to believe that there 
are so many avenues of experiment and study open to the horticulturist 
that the near future will develop more novelties and higher standards 
than some of us think it possible to realize. 



DISCUSSION OF THE ESSAYS. 37 

From The Florists' Exchange, August 26, 1893. 

DISCUSSION- OF THE ESSAYS. 

MR. WILLIAM MEGGAT, of Connecticut, being called on, 
said he thought the selection and hybridization of plants: 
was sometimes carried too far. Take, for instance, the 
Golden Self-Blanching Celery and White Plume. Some growers per- 
sisted in discarding all the green plants. His experience had been 
that if these green plants were weeded out the constitution and size 
of the vegetable were destroyed, and it was well to have some of them 
in. He had noticed in the seed-bed where these varieties and some 
others were sown the seed of the green plant was the largest, had 
the most vitality, and produced the biggest plants in the seed-bed. 
Gardeners often took the largest plants and had too large a proportion 
of green celery, whereas from a second planting, where the smaller 
plants had time to grow and develop more, he had nearly all of the 
desired kind. 

In some sections of the country there was a great deal of fault found 
because the Boston market celery did not sucker as it did near Boston. 
This he had demonstrated to him by a friend near Boston, who took 
plants that showed an inclination to sucker in the seed-bed. These 
plants when transplanted, however, did not sucker. 

fin* word " earliness " did not amount to much. It was very 
doubtful in his mind whether they were making any progress in that 
direction. Some people recommended Northern-grown seed because 
it was hardy and early. Any Northern variety of early vegetable was 
desirable ; but if they went in for earliness entirely they were likely 
at times to sacrifice quality and always size. In a great many, if not 
in all cases, earliness in Vermont or Minnesota was desirable ; but in 
New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio it did not amount to much, and in 
the Southern States it amounted to nothing, in his opinion. A certain 
length of season and a degree of heat were necessary to produce the 
required vegetable ; and it was impossible to get seed to produce a 
late as well as an early variety in Southern States where the conditions 
were the same. As an example, he cited the case of the Lima bean, 
which grew and flourished luxuriantly in a hot climate. Take the 
seed of it grown in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and South- 
ern California, and plant them in the trial grounds, and it was impos- 
sible to tell which was the earliest. That bean required just such a 
length of season to grow, no matter where the seed came from. 



36 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

One question that had heen suggested by the essays was how they 
could do away with so many varieties. He thought that could be 
done by growing only the best of its kind. There were some thirty or 
forty varieties of early peas ; but those who grew the best would have 
no difficulty in filling an order. 

While there were some things in the papers read which Mr. Meggat 
did not agree with, he said they were the most intelligent and learned 
papers he had ever heard. " We American seedsmen want to push on 
and get better posted in our business ; know the whys and wherefores, 
and accept nothing for granted. Like the superstitious Connecticut 
farmers, we have got a great many ridiculous ideas we want to get rid of. 
We are advancing very rapidly, and, if we push on, I think we will 
meet with success. " [Applause.] 

In answer to a remark of one essajist, Mr. Meggat said it was bet- 
ter to select stock at all times from well-developed seed grown at a 
favorable season. 

Mr. T. W. Wood, of Virginia, rose to speak in defense of the 
South, because it had not been heard from at all. The South had not 
been considered a seed-growing district ; everything must be Northern 
grown. He asked, were they perfectly correct in that? He was in- 
clined to think that the South had a great deal more in it than they 
imagined, and would probably develop to greater proportions in seed 
growing than they expected. As an example, he cited the case of the 
potato. Only four or five years ago everybody wanted a Northern- 
grown potato ; but what was it to day ? The market gardeners of 
Pennsylvania and New York were demanding Southern-grown second- 
crop seed, and why? Because they had found that they would pro- 
duce a larger crop of potatoes. These now formed a large trade, 
whereas five years ago a man would have been looked on as having 
no knowledge of potatoes had he offered Southern grown seed. 

Take beans as another instance. The Northern-grown pole bean 
was a loose-clinging variety ; it did not cling to the pole well, the 
Southern-grown bean clinging much better. 

He also differed in opinion regarding the egg plant. Where the 
plant came to the greatest perfection, there, he believed, was the 
place to get the seed. Much finer and better germinating seed could 
be obtained in the South than in New York or New England. 

Professor Wittmack * said they found in Europe that very good 

* Prof. Dr. L. Wittmack, of Berlin, representative of the German Govern- 
ment, also read a paper on " Horticultural Displays at Future World's Fairs." 



DISCUSSION OF THE ESSA YS. 39 

plants and vegetables were obtained from some seed mown in south- 
ern countries. While that was true of these, there were other coun- 
tries in Europe where, owing to the coldness of the climate, it was 
impossible to ripen seeds. The German seed raising- firms of Benary, 
Eattge & Schmidt, and others, had parties located in the countries on 
tlic Mediterranean, Algiers, and southern part of France who grew 
special seeds for them. Such seeds would not ripen in Germany, still 
good results were obtained when they were grown in the North. 
The seed of the best small-headed cauliflower raised in Germany was 
obtained from Italy. They also imported much of their cauliflower 
seed from Denmark. They must not think that seed grown in the 
South would not give as good vegetables as that raised in the North. 

Mons. de Vilmorin thought that the question did not at all differ 
from the principle laid down, viz., that the place where a .seed of any 
vegetable was grown was the place where that vegetable would be 
produced in its most perfect and best developed form. Some seeds, 
many of them, might be harvested very conveniently in the North ; 
but with some other kinds growing seed away from the South would 
mean no seed at all. They in France and Europe could not expect to 
grow well and cheaply tomatoes or any of those very early plants ex- 
ec] »t on the shores of the Mediterranean, and even south of the Medi- 
terranean, because north of it the necessary amount of heat in the 
summer was deficient. 

Mr. A. W. Livingston, of Iowa, referred to what Mr. Allen had 
said in his paper about selection of the first ripe fruit for seed. He 
found in his selection of corn that in the first ripe fruit two ears to a 
stalk were often obtained, but he would never select that kind for 
his stock seed unless it was in a country where it. required early 
planting. The corn was generally short, there was no such ear on it 
as there would be on the next later kind. 

With regard to running out of certain plants and certain kinds, he 
had a sweet corn which he had had for forty-two years. It was just 
as good to day as it ever was ; but he selected the seed. The Paragou 
Tomato he had grown for twenty-five years, and it was just as good to- 
day as it was when he brought it to maturity. He did not think there 
was much danger of crops running out if proper selection was made. 

Mr. Livingston then narrated a case where he had bought melons of 
the Cuban Queen variety in Iowa, which to all appearance were first- 
rate goods, but on being cut they were not fit to eat ; they had no 
taste at all. He thought the difficulty there lay in the soil. 



40 SELECTION IN SEED GEO WING. 

Professor Bailey, of Cornell, was the next speaker. He eulogized 
M. de Vilmorin's essay ; it endorsed some truths presented by that 
gentleman's father in a most remarkable paper on the heredity of 
plants, which appeared some years ago. 

He was pleased to hear M. Vilmorin speak of his methods, and to 
note that he felt that heredity meant selection, — meant a law in regard 
to the improvement of plants. Professor Bailey was fully prepared to 
say he believed there was nothing random in nature. Wherever a 
variety of plant was got it came from some law which might be un- 
known ; it should be our purpose to find out the laws that govern the 
selection and improvement of plants. 

He had been called on as the originator of the Ignotum Tomato, 
which had been received in some parts with favor. He took no credit 
as the originator ; it simply chanced to come up on their grounds, 
starting from a very inferior sort, and by selecting for two or three 
years he had succeeded in fixing the type. It might seem that this 
Ignotum Tomato, coming as a chance seedling, from a parentage very 
inferior after all, was a mere matter of chance, with no connection ap- 
proaching to scientific law. He could not tell where the Ignotum came 
from ; there was some reason for its coming. Having once found a 
variation, it was the province of man to experiment with it and to en- 
deavor to mature and fix that variation so that the plant could be 
relied on and offered as a commodity, and this was where skill and 
experience could be brought to bear. Men could not do much in the 
way of originating variation in plants ; that lay beyond their control ; 
but so much depended on the selection of variations, when they did 
appear, that they ought to try to induce a good variation first. The 
tendency to variation was itself a variation which they must fix ; they 
must fix that heredity in the plant just as much as they would color, 
size, or fragrance ; they must endeavor to continue the tendency to 
reproduce itself, and when they had done that, they would have ac- 
complished one of the most important things that could be accomplished 
by selection. 

The speaker then went on to treat of the physiological nature of the 
paper. For various reasons given it indicated that plants were 
amenable to external conditions and especially amenable to selection. 
The more crossing in ancestry, the longer will it take to fix the varia- 
tion. He thought cross breeding was carried too far ; that by promis 
cuous crossing instability was introduced which it would take several 
generations to breed out. 



THE SEEDSMAN'S TRIAL GROUNDS. 

BY W. ATLEE BURPEE. 

[Head before the Convention of the American Seed Trade Association, 
Chicago, August 14, 1893.] 

TO thoroughly know seeds and the relative value of their pro- 
ducts, both of his own and his competitor's stocks, to learn the 
comparative merits of newly introduced or proposed novelties, 
carefully conducted trial grounds are to the progressive seedsman and 
his a>si>tants the opeu book of nature. By trial grounds we mean 
the planting and cultivation of the various grains, grasses, vegetables, 
and flowers in the open field or garden, each sample being numbered 
and careful records being kept from notes taken at various stages of 
growth. 

Sonic years ago we were amused at the claim of a large seed house 
(no longer in existence) that immediately upon receipt they took three 
samples from each bag of every lot of seed,— one from the top, another 
from the middle, and a third from the bottom of the bag, — to test for 
germinating power. Every careful seedsman will, of course, on ware- 
housing his seeds, test a sample of each lot for vitality, but he won Id 
be a poor seedsman who obtained his supplies from such doubtful 
sources that the bottom of the bag should not be uniform with the 
top or middle. Furthermore, this very emphasis laid, as a guarantee 
to planters, upon the thorough vitality test of the seed, brings out 
prominently a question as to the quality of the produce. That seeds 
grow is of prime importance, but this can be proven even by the 
planter himself before he sows the seed ; of equal, nay, of greater, 
importance is the knowledge that the seeds planted will yield the 
best products of their kind. This knowledge can only be attained by 
thorough comparative growing trials conducted each year under con- 
ditions as nearly as possible the same as the seeds will receive in 
the gardens, fields, hot-beds, or greenhouses of the private planter or 
market gardener. 

41 



42 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

The object iu the conduct of trial grounds is the attainment of 
knowledge — truth ; but, as already intimated, this is threefold in its 
purposes. 

(i) To Know the Seeds He Sells. 

A seedsman may travel all over the world, inspecting the various 
crops for which he has contracted, but he cannot know that he 
actually receives the products of the fields he has inspected unless 
after arrival their trueness to type is proved in his trial grounds. 
It is only by such tests that he can insure against inferior stocks 
or wrong varieties. Mistakes are by no means always to be attri- 
buted to intention to deceive, as they often result from ignorance 
or carelessness. Just a point in illustration : The past season, 
as was universal, our crops of American Wonders and Premium 
Gem Peas were short, and we sought to make up our requirements 
by purchase. We gladly bought a lot of each from a fellow mem- 
ber of this Association, who freely told us the name of the grower 
in Canada, a man of good repute, whose stocks he said he knew were 
right from personal inspection while growing. A row of each of 
these, as of every other lot, was, of course, planted at Fordhook, re- 
vealing to us, as well as to the astonished seedsman who sold the 
peas, a fine, straight sample of Premium Gems labeled American 
Wonders. Both lots were identical. The seedsman promptly offered 
to refund the difference in price, but that could not recompense for the 
harm done, nor relieve our chagrin that a hundred or more customers 
the past season received from us Premium Gem Peas under the name 
of American Wonders. This seedsman has no trial grounds and might 
never have known of his mistake had we not acquainted him with the 
fact, for retail buyers do not always complain, some from ignorance 
of what the true type should be, and others because they conclude that 
the substitution of a cheaper variety was dishonestly done for the sake 
of a larger profit. 

To-day as we write, comes to hand that excellent little paper, 
" Gleanings in Bee Culture," for July 15th, where, on page 573, a writer 
from Missouri, in the course of an interesting article on gardening 
says : — 

" Talk about peas ! I always thought one had to plant 
a big lot of seed to get a few peas ; but I have changed my 

mind this year. American Wonder, 's catalogue 

says, grow six to eight inches tall, so I gave them no 



THE SEEDSMAN'S TRIAL GROUNDS. 43 

bush to climb on, and they just sprawled out all over 
tlic ground some 18 to 24 inches, but, nevertheless, they 
gave us plenty of nice peas." 

To this the versatile editor, who is himself something of a seedsman', 
replies : — 

" Very good, friend M. Some of the rest of us have 
found that the American Wonder peas, fortius year, grow 
a little more than six to eight inches. I do not know 
whether it is the extra soil up in Michigan, where they 
are raised, or whether they have got tired of being dwarfs, 
and have gone back to old times, or what is the matter. 
Nobody has complained, that I know of, because they give 
a very large crop of extra nice peas, even if they do go 
over more ground than the orthodox ones ought to do." 

Others of you may have had similar experiences, and this may ex- 
plain why in a season when American Wonders were scarcely a third 
of a crop there were still " enough to go round." Is it well that no- 
body complained ? An experienced market gardener certainly would 
either have complained most bitterly, or quietly concluded that the 
seedsman intentionally deceived him in selling Gems for Wonders. 

Such cases show the value of trials in testing stocks that have been 
purchased, but comparative trials are of equal importance in testing 
stocks either of the seedsman's own growing or of his own contract 
crops, while as a check upon the contract growers they are invaluable, 
being most conducive toward insuring careful "rogueing" and 
toward counteracting the temptation which a grower often meets in 
the event of a short crop, to purchase other crops, which can be handled 
at a profitable margin, but which are hardly of the gilt-edge type the 
careful seedsman would want to supply to his market garden trade. 
Furthermore, the trial grounds reveal clearly the result of selection of 
stock seed in any given line ; they also make clear a point upon which 
there is frequently uncertainty on the part pf the seedsman as to the 
best sections in which to grow their general supplies or the stock seed 
of certain varieties. For instance, it is a common practice in the seed 
trade to grow pole beans tar north, in field culture without the use of 
poles. Our trials for years past have indicated that this is very detri- 
mental to the climbing tendencies of pole beans. We have noticed 
that White Creaseback Beans, obtained originally from Louisiana and 
climbing most luxuriantly, largely lose this habit of sticking closely to 



44 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

the poles after being grown far north in field crops without poles. We 
could mention many other instances where our trial grounds have 
shown that some sections (largely used for seed-growing) are decidedly 
unfavorable to the production of the best seeds of certain vegetables. 
The luxurious growth which carrots and turnips attain in California 
and Southern Europe seem to give an inbred tendency to seeds of these 
vegetables grown there to reproduce a superabundance of tops at the 
expense of large, well-formed roots. Similar genial climates, so con- 
ducive to luxuriant vegetation, also produce a superabundance of 
foliage (outside leaves) to cabbages. These are simply a few instances 
from observation of stocks grown in different sections ; of equal import- 
ance is the careful study of the various strains of seeds, to note 
whether the selection of stock from year to year is being intelligently 
made and the types continually maintained or improved. 

Well-conducted yearly tests of one's own stocks are necessary, not 
only for the purposes named, but are also useful in giving the seeds- 
man the best possible school in which to educate a trained class of em- 
ployees. Every year some of the most promising of our young men 
are drafted to the farm for the planting, growing, and harvesting sea- 
son. Some of these work in the trial grounds and some among the 
field crops growing for seed, but all have free access to the " finder," 
by which they can learn to know the various vegetables, grains, grasses, 
and flowers. When such a man returns to the store, a packet of seed 
is more to him than merely one of thousands tied up and stored in 
hundreds, he being familiar not only with the plant, habit of growth, 
and use of the plant or flower, but also with the distinctive charac- 
teristics of the varieties. Young men with such training make intelli- 
gent counter salesmen and rational thinking clerks in filling mail 
orders, sometimes eventually developing a capacity for taking charge 
of a department or of starting in business for themselves. 

(2) To Know His Competitor's Stocks. 

The wide-awake seedsman will not be content merely to test the 
strains of seeds which he himself is selling, but will also want to know 
how they compare with seed of the same varieties sold by other growers. 
This is a most important use of the trial grounds, for it may be that 
one of the seedsman's competitors has devoted very special attention 
to a given variety, and while his own stock of this variety may be good, 
his competitor's may be better. The seedsman who annually conducts 
thorough trials is not obliged to wait for a falling off of trade to tell 
him that other houses are selling better strains of seeds of any varieties 



THE SEEDSMAN'S TRIAL GROUNDS. 45 

than his own. Such comparative trials will keep the progressive 
seedsman thoroughly in touch with the work of growers, both at 
home and abroad, and will sometimes show that he should drop 
stocks which he considered first-class and adopt in their stead others 
which are better. This is an age of progress, and it should be the aim 
of every seed grower to attain in each variety of seed as nearly to per- 
fection as possible ; one man, often a market gardener, may develop an 
improved strain of a given specialty ; it is the business of the competent 
seedsman to secure the best of each variety. 

As might be expected in a business so modern in its development, 
the standard of quality for seeds is continually advancing ; twenty 
years ago it was comparatively easy to build up a new seed trade by 
careful attention to ordinary details, as trial grounds were then almost 
unknown and the public were not so critical iu their purchase of seeds. 
To-day the conditions are changed, and while many purchasers are still 
ignorant of the types of the different varieties, a large proportion can 
discriminate, not only between varieties, but also between good seeds 
and better. So steadily is the public advancing in ability to discrimi- 
nate, that to-day it is hardly possible for jobbers in the seed trade, 
either at home or abroad, to do a large trade merely because of low 
prices ; the retail dealer and florist is fast learning that he can only 
hold and extend his trade in seeds by handling such as are known to 
be true to name and of first-class quality. We think it will not be 
long before the better class of retail dealers will demand as their right 
the inspection of the trial grounds of the seedsman from whom they 
obtain their supplies, so that they in their turn can intelligently recom- 
mend the seeds which they handle. 

(3) To Learn the Comparative Merits of Newly Introduced or Pro- 
posed Novelties. 

The keen appetite for "novelties" now leads every hybridizer or 
discoverer, particularly European growers, to herald any variation or 
improvement as something new and extremely valuable, painting its 
description in glowing colors. To appease this appetite too many seeds- 
men take the so-called new varieties under the introducers' descriptions 
and herald them broadcast throughout the land, without any personal 
knowledge as to their respective merits or demerits. This is seldom 
safe. A seedsman's customers have the right to assume that they can 
trust the descriptions in his catalogue. Never, unless in very excep- 
tional cases, should the seedsman run the risk of betraying this confi- 
dence by recommending a variety of which he knows nothing person- 



46 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

ally ; it is better to wait a year to test the variety and prove whether 
it be of real merit or not. It is hardly necessary to enlarge upon the 
importance of this, as we all know how many of the novelties continu- 
ally introduced either fail to be of distinct character or to show marked 
improvement upon existing varieties. We are glad to notice that 
much attention has lately been devoted by Horticultural Associations 
and State experiment stations to condemning the pernicious practice of 
renaming varieties for the sake of securing "novelties;'' this is par- 
ticularly objectionable, but is clearly revealed to the seedsman who 
studies his thorough trial grounds. The past spring we had in our 
trial grounds five samples under five different names, from different 
seed houses, of an early lettuce, all of which proved to be the same, 
and annually many of the so-called new varieties received from home 
and foreign growers prove identical with old varieties with winch, per- 
haps, as doubtless is often the case, the supposed introducer is not ac- 
quainted. From a mere pecuniary standpoint it never " pays" in the 
long run to introduce or recommend a novelty unless it is both distinct 
and valuable : it is far better to hold the confidence of one's customers 
so that they will recognize the fact that reliance can be placed in the 
statements of their favorite seedsman. 

Again, it too often occurs that old varieties of established excellence 
are dropped to make room for newer sorts which the seedsman thinks 
will sell better. Kindly permit a personal case to illustrate: we all 
know that many varieties of cabbage have been introduced in the past 
twelve years, we ourselves having introduced several, and yet in all 
that time we have been careful to select and maintain the Surehead 
Cabbage, introduced seventeen years ago, and the fact that we still 
annually sell 20,000 packages more of this variety than of any other 
demonstrates the advisability of never dropping a variety because it is 
old, — unless there is something new to fill the same place that is really 
better. Although given centuries before trial grounds were thought 
of, there can be no better rule for their conduct to day than " To prove 
all things, and hold fast to that which is good." 

By thorough trial grounds giving comparative tests of one's own 
stock with his competitor's stock and with everything new that is 
offered, the seedsman is enabled, by careful comparison, to detect 
synonymous varieties. In the generally well-edited catalogue of a 
prominent house we were surprised to notice the following paragraph 
in the introduction this season : — 

" In our last year's catalogue we endeavored to offer a 



THE SEEDSMAN'S TRIAL GROUNDS. 47 

less number of varieties selecting only those that were 
the very best, but we have discovered that the extent of 
this country would not admit of the condensation of 
varieties, as many of them, although really duplicates 
of other sorts, have their local popularity, and arc only 
known by local names. These duplications can only be 
reduced by practical experience and thorough testing." 

Now, others may differ with us, but we honestly think it should be 
the practice of the seed trade never to sell the same variety of seed 
under two names, but where necessary, besides the proper name to 
give the synonyms in brackets. The closing sentence of the paragraph 
just read says that "These duplications can only be reduced by 
practical experience and thorough testing : "—such thorough testing, 
with experience to judge, certainly should be the business of the seeds- 
man. Eed Valentine Beans are generally well known throughout the 
country, and the fact that they are sold in the Baltimore market as Red 
Harrow should not induce the seedsman to catalogue Red Marrow 
separately, thus misleading some with the impression that it is a 
different bean. A seeming exception may rightly be made in so 
important an item as extra early peas, of which each seedsman 
naturally strives to have the earliest and best strain, and as a sign of 
his faith can properly attach his name, but this is no excuse for offer- 
ing, as do several catalogues, extra early peas under half a dozen 
or more different names, when there cannot be in the warehouse of any 
seedsman so many distinct strains of what was originally known as 
Philadelphia Extra Early Peas. We thoroughly advocate giving all 
the synonymous names in brackets where there is no doubt of the 
identity, except in the case of names given by a few houses who make 
re-naming so common a practice that only the most ignorant can be 
deceived. 

A greatly needed reform that can only be accomplished by a thorough 
system of comparative trials is the securing of accurate descriptions 
and life-like illustrations of varieties. Carelessness in this respect has 
been altogether too prevalent. For instance, a few years ago the 
orginator of the Banquet Melon was quite exercised as to whether he 
really had the novelty that he believed, because a seedsman used in his 
catalogue an illustration of a melon from a photograph that was iden- 
tically the same in outer appearance as the Banquet, and nowhere in 
his description did he mention the color of the flesh. Comparative 
trial demonstrated the fact that the other melon was green fleshed 



48 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

while the Banquet was salmon-fleshed. Such carelessness in descrip- 
tion is inexcusable, but how much more frequently do we find inac- 
curacy in illustration. This year we are growing Nott's Excelsior 
Peas, having become convinced of their merit, and, with a view to 
cataloguing same next year, had photographs made from which to have 
an illustration engraved. In doing this we referred to the catalogues 
of the two seedsmen (both recognized as honorable houses) from whom 
we had obtained the seed for planting, to see in what manner they illus- 
trated the variety. One we found used evidently a fancy engraving, 
as it did not in any respect resemble the variety, the peas being well- 
rounded, whereas they are always so crowded together in the pods that 
they are flattened at the sides, like the Potato Lima. The other firm 
had used (probably unknowingly) to represent Nott's Excelsior an illus- 
tration which was engraved from a photograph taken some years ago 
of our Quantity Pea at the time of its introduction. 

As Chairman of your Committee of the Seed Division of the Horti- 
cultural Congress, to open on Wednesday, I can promise several very 
interesting papers, by experienced European and American horticul- 
turists, hence I will avoid the temptation to trespass further upon your 
time in mentioning many interesting facts revealed in our trial grounds 
this year and past seasons. In closing, however, with the hope that 
others who have trial grounds may do likewise, I would extend to the 
members of this Association who may travel East, an invitation to stop 
over in Philadelphia and take an easy hour's journey to Fordhook 
Farm, where our trials will be freely shown and methods fully 
explained. 



FROM THE ESSAYS AT CHICAGO, 
AUGUST, 1893.* 

WHEN the White City has become a thing of the past, with 
all trace of where the magnificent buildings once stood com- 
pletely obliterated, the sayings of the wise men who spoke 
at the Congresses will still be remembered. Our own Horticultural 
Congress, led by not only our own wise men, but those also from the 
far-off East, was a grand gathering, and a few extracts from the pro- 
ceedings, here reproduced, will not be out of order at this time. 

Professor Trelease on "Technical Horticultural Education." 

Specialism is the only way by which rapid progress can be made, 
and the world now expects it ; but unless care is taken it dwarfs the 
individual, rendering him narrow, and at the same time opinionated, 
and to this extent lessens his usefulness and defeats its own end. 

* * * 

Technical training is intended primarily to make specialists. It is 
eminently practical, and its utility is measured by its practical results. 

* * * 

There does not exist a single American school of which I know that 
has a systematic, well-balanced course in the theory and practice of 
horticulture, from which any considerable number of practical horti- 
culturists are graduated, nor do I see any present prospects of a change 
in this respect. * * * 

For several years members of the Society of American Florists and 
other intelligent and thoughtful men have been agitating the question 
of a school of floriculture. Their business is one of increasing dignity 
and profit, and there is room for the employment in it of a great deal 
of taste, technical knowledge, and intelligence. * * * 

Mr. Dyer, the director of Kew Gardens, does not consider schools of 
gardening beneficial. He looks on gardening as a trade, best learned 
in the practice ; and it must be admitted that many of the best gar- 

* Under this heading The Florists' Exchange, September 30, 1893, gives 
a number of well-chosen extracts. Those from papers read at other sessions 
than the Seedsmen's Division we take pleasure in reprinting. We have 
omitted the extracts from President Bonney's opening address, and also from 
the papers and remarks of Messrs Vilmorin, Allen, Burpee, Morse, Meggat, and 
Professor Bailey, as these will be found printed in full in the preceding pages. 
— W. A. B. & Co. 

4 49 



50 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

deners have risen through the great seed and plant establishments, 
without any schooling other than that of e very-day routine and home 
reading. * * * 

Brawn is not so well paid as braiu because it is more abuudant, and 
few intelligent men, with the power to rise higher, are willing to set 
for their ideal the lowest standard in their profession. * * * 

Of theoretical gardeners I shall say nothing, because the demand for 
them as a class is not very great, but there is a steady demand for 
both laborers and educated, practical men. * * * 

The kernel of the problem of horticultural education is to teach the 
trade of gardening well, as a trade, and to supplement it with thought- 
fulness, observation and a taste for experimenting, and enough learn- 
ing to bring the man in touch with his fellows and to enable him to 
make his attainments useful to them as well as to himself. * * * 

The obstacle in the way of evening classes (which at present is the 
best method open) is that few cities can supply for them students 
enough to warrant the labor and expense of maintaining them and 
supplying them with good teachers. A fair substitute might be 
organized among the youuger members of every large plant establish- 
ment. * * * 

No isolated school can keep together a body of good horticulturists 
as teachers unless well endowed and well patronized by paying 
students. * * * 

To be successful in America at the present day, a school of garden- 
ing must possess ample facilities for growing plants of many kinds in 
considerable quantities. It must be equipped with the necessary 
laboratory appliances, and it must count manual labor as an essential 
part of its course, and limit other instruction to strictly practical sub- 
jects, taught almost exclusively in the field and the laboratory. It 
cannot put the age of admission too high nor the requirements for 
admission, nor insist upon too long a period of practical experience as 
an entrance requirement. * * * 

I do not see how in this country a gardening course extending over 
more than two years can be made to attract and hold many students, 
unless free tuition and some further gratuity is given, but while a two 
years' course must sacrifice some of the manual labor of a longer 
course, I believe that it would be very helpful to those wishing to 
become practical gardeners or florists — it being, of course, understood 
that it must be rounded out by further practical experience obtained 
in good establishments either before entrance or after the completion 
of the course. * * * 



EXTRACTS FROM ESSAYS. 51 

It a sufficient number of pupils could be counted upon, I believe 
that private or governmental endowment for a school of gardening 
worthy of the name could bo secured within a few years. Is it 
wanted and would it be used? 

I most heartily wish that you may succeed in establishing higher 
schools of gardening : but first begin with the lower ones, thai is the 
most important subject.— Dr. Wittmack, of Germany. 



France had only two grades of horticultural schools ; they did not 
possess, neither did they see any urgent necessity for, a lower grade of 
gardeners, whose aspirations did not go beyond being useful and 
efficient workmen. For these evening lectures were provided, either 
through the horticultural societies, or simply by the efforts of em- 
ployers. — Henri de Vilmorin, Paris. 



Agriculture must succeed because it is the foundation upon which 
rests all other industries ; but it did not succeed in comparison with 
mechanical pursuits, therefore, something must be wrong with agri- 
culture all the country over. * * This country had not come to the 
period to which the French, Germans, and other European nations 
had got, when we needed especial training in the minute laws of 
horticultural work. — Professor Bailey. 



Supt. McMillan, of Buffalo, on " Improvement and Care of Public 

Grounds." 

The fine qualities of many of our native shrubs are largely ignored 
in selecting plants for ornamental shrubberies. For many fine kinds 
there is so little demand that nurserymen do not propagate them, and 
those they do handle maybe imported plants raised abroad from ex- 
ported seed. This may be partly due to divers conditions here of 
climate and cost of labor ; but it shows public indifference to a re- 
markable extent. * * * 

Planting for autumn effect is worthy of experiment on a large 
scale, but it is rarely considered. * * * 

The elements of natural beauty in the distinctive forms and in the 
foliage of tree and shrub in the spring and summer stages also receive 
scant attention in general. The difference in size and shape, and 
habit of growth, and in the shades of green are infinite, and the 
manner in which they mingle and blend in combination is natural 
beauty of the highest order. * * * 



52 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

Broad-leaved evergreen shrubs are also a distinctive class of great 
beauty when their native qualities can be fully displayed by thrifty, 
vigorous growth. Their bright foliage is especially valuable in winter 
if it be above a zero temperature. * * * 

Every plant is beautiful or not in proportion to the vigor of its 
growth — the best measure of a healthy condition. * * * 

In the planting for landscape effect, the future development, both 
near and far, must be taken into account. * * * 

A prominent floral display of exotic plants is not in character with 
the general tone of a rural landscape. The contrast is usually too 
strong to be agreeable, but in small grounds of a formal type, or in 
sections of a larger ground, where artificial constructions are promi- 
nent, the luxury of a flower garden will be more fully enjoyed. * * * 

The taste which perceives the scenic value of such places and con- 
serves them for the public enjoyment is a promising sign of the 
strength of public sentiment, which, in any community, may be de- 
pended on to support all intelligent effort in the improvement of the 
public ground, to conserve and develop its natural beauty. 



Besides the natural and architectural schools of gardening there was 
another which was fast occupying a place in horticultural history, 
and that was the "Composite." That was a school which recognized 
virtues in both*the other schools. * * * 

The great French landscape gardener, Andre, had expressed it as his 
conviction that the composite style of gardening would become the 
most popular because it was the prettiest, and was willing to recog- 
nize beauty, whether of form or color or growth, or in any other 
way. * * * 

I know that the school which Mr. McMillan represents objects to all 
colored foliage, such as is produced by the purple beech, Prunus pis- 
sardi, the golden Sambucus, and others. They find no place in their 
schools of gardening for such things. Are they not intrinsically 
beautiful, and would they hurt or would they help the adornment of 
such places ? * * * 

In view of the effect that flowers had on civilization he was sur- 
prised that the school of gardening known as the " natural " school 
ignored color altogether in the production of the landscape which it 
was their duty to create. — Robert Craig. 



A good landscape gardener ought to blend color with trees in the 



EXTRA CTS FROM ESSA YS. 53 

shape of pretty flowers. A variety of color was exceedingly useful, 
and made a lasting impression on the eye. — M. DE VlLMORlN. 

Gardening, it seemed to him, was not a mere matter of form ; a 
mere matter of reproduction of contours, of circles, or of undulations ; 
it was a matter of form and color blended in such a way as to produce 
the greatest pleasure to the greatest number of people, and to be 
restful and fascinating. — Prof. Trelease. 



There was a time and a place for everything, and it seemed to him 
that the so-called natural style of gardening was detrimental to the 
florist. He then went on to describe the exactments of the naturalistic 
school. Everybody had a right to ornament his garden as he pleased. 
A good many things had been said about the formality of the present 
style of gardening, but he wished to say that it had done more to 
create a love for horticulture and to promote horticulture than any 
other style. —John Thorpe. 

The taste in the arrangement of decorative flowers in the United 
States was entirely different from that of Germany. In some respects 
he thought the American decorations were a little too realistic and very 
often too stiff, and he wished that these might be improved in this 
country. — Dr. WlTTMACK. 



Nature makes use of color in a very easy and informal way, and if 
we are to introduce masses of color among trees and shrubberies in 
such places where naturalistic treatment has improved them, then we 
should introduce them in a naturalistic way, in groups which are 
irregular, as if they occur there naturally. Do not scatter them over a 
landscape, for the} 7 will be like so many blots of ink upon the whole 
scene. — Prof. Bailey. 



Charles D. Garfield on " Relation of Experiment Stations to 
Horticulture." 

He asked them to give the experiment stations enough work to do. 

Commercial success was endangered by fussing with experiments. 

* * * 

The demand was for new things and better methods in horticulture. 

* * * 



54 SELECTION IN SEED GEO WING. 

The duty of commercial horticulturists to these stations was to ask 
questions. * * * 

They should not ask for results too quickly. The fact that they 
had not been patient had led to the greatest errors. An experiment 
was not an experiment until it had been carried to its culmination. 

* •* * 

Commercial horticulture had a right to demand intelligent and en- 
thusiastic laborers in these stations. * * * 

We should demand that those who have charge of these stations shall 
' select wisely and well men who are to conduct them. * * * 

The work of these stations was scientific, educational, and practical. 

* * * 

Most of the bulletins sent out by the experiment stations were not 
fit to read, and were cast aside by him because they contained such 
poor material. * * * 

An experiment worker had no right to be in the station unless he 
started out in the beginning and said he would be honest in everything 
that he did or said. When that was the case he was fit for the Kingdom 
of Heaven. And he sometimes thought that experiment stations fitted 
men, if they started out with this idea, for the Kingdom of Heaven. 



Prof. Dr. L. Wittmack on " Horticultural Displays at Future 
World's Fairs." 

If ever it should be necessary to demonstrate the utility — nay, the 
necessity — of gardening, World's Fairs would prove it. How would 
the most splendid buildings look if they had no beautiful environments? 
A World's Fair without landscape is like a picture without a frame. 

-x * ■* 

Grace to the architect, grace to the landscape gardener, the Colum- 
bian World's Fair is a splendor that never has been seen before. * * 

I come to a point which in future World's Fairs should be taken 
into consideration. I mean the whole of Horticulture, be it for decor- 
ating purposes or exhibiting purposes, if single or collective exhibits, 
must lie in one hand ; there must be no division, no landscape garden- 
ing and horticulture, as here. * * * 

We come to another important question — the judges. Here in 
Chicago has been adopted, as you all know, the principle of a single 
judge, who shall make a brief report of the articles that have been ex- 
amined by him, and recommend an award or not. The departmental 
jury, his colleagues, shall then confirm or refuse his decision. It has 



EXTRACTS FROM ESSAYS. Z>5 

been said in favor of the single judge principle that a single judge will 
be more careful when he knows that he alone by his signature shall 
give the verdict. It is also said that the work will go on quicker. 
But I think that there is much more danger than benefit in this sys- 
tem. * * * 

A keen judge will perhaps say " no award," another will say one 
award is Wetter than none. In this way the awards may be multiplied 
in number and diminished in their value. * * * 

In horticulture the judges have accepted the principle of a single 
judge, thinking it would be better to continue adopting the method in 
use since the month of March, when the first cyclamens were examined 
by the judge. I fear that this system will have bad consequences for 
some of the exhibitors. The jury which shall confirm the report of 
the single judge from March to July has not seen the articles ; it must, 
in most cases, rely on the single judge. * * * 

But for the jury in horticulture arises still another difficulty. In all 
other departments, members of a World's Fair jury may assemble at a 
given date and examine their objects, but in horticulture that has to be 
done all the year round ; therefore a jury for horticulture should be or- 
ganized at the beginning of the exposition. The president and secretary 
should reside in the city, or in the neighborhood of that city in which 
the exposition takes place, that their examinations maybe continued. 
There should be a sufficient number of other gentlemen of that same 
country in which the exposition is to be held, who might assemble 
every fortnight, and if there are horticultural representatives of foreign 
countries who stay the whole time, they might also enter as judges for 
the whole fair. Other foreign judges may be requested to come when 
their specialty will be best displayed. * * * 

As many exhibitors will exhibit several times, first, perhaps, lily of 
the valley, then roses, afterwards asters, there should be given points 
for each exhibition and these points added together, a certain number 
of points, say 100, being the standard, which must be the rate during 
the whole of the exhibition for getting an award. But what award ? 
Shall there in future be only one award in the form of a medal of 
bronze, as here? Would it not be better to make gold, silver, and 
bronze medals of different grades ? I think the latter way is the better, 
the man obtaining 100 points to receive a bronze medal, the one obtain- 
ing 200 points a silver medal, and a man obtaining 500 to GOO points a 
gold medal. * * * 

In general I think our gardeners are accustomed to too many medals 
at one exposition. At horticultural exhibitions it may happen that a 



56 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

man gets five or ten prizes. At industrial expositions the manufacturer 
gets but one medal. * * * 

A gardener expects one for lily of the valley, one for syringa, and 
one for roses. Still. I must confess that there is a little difference be 
tween the article of the goldsmith and of the gardener, as each flower 
often forms a specialty. Nevertheless, I think a gardener will be more 
satisfied when he gets one higher medal for all these collections together, 
than several lower ones. * * * 

A difference should be made between prizes and awards ; prizes may 
be given each fortnight for a collection of begonias, roses, etc., but 
awards should only be given for the whole together at the end of the 
fair. * * * 

As soon as the plants can be judged and the judgments confirmed, a 
label should be posted on the plants showing who is the owner. As it 
is now, the gardeners who have exhibited primroses or cyclamen in the 
spring and others to July, have received no benefits from their exhibits 
for this year ; in fact, no award has been made, and it is still a secret. 
Gardeners might have done business if a label of award had been 
placed on their plants. 

E. V. Hallock on " Knowledge in the Seed Trade." 

The giving of credit is a matter in which great judgment should be 
exercised, both as to men and circumstances. The knowledge of where 
to find the various stocks where climatic conditions meet the require- 
ments of the particular trade is also essential. * * * 

Knowledge was also a barrier to fraud. There were men who did 
not care what they sold, who, as a rule, were deterred from fraud when 
they knew the buyer was master of his business. Foreigners used to 
prey upon the ignorance of buyers, but that time had passed. He 
wanted to warn all foreign dealers and growers that we were beyond 
the point where we did not know what we bought. 



An Apostrophe to Flora. 

Of the many gifts bestowed upon man the first and greatest of all 
was woman, and as she stands before us in harmonious apparel is she 
any the less beautiful in our eyes because of the sparkle of the dia- 
mond, the gleam of the emerald or the ruby, as their shafts of Color 
scintillate before oure3 r es? Do we admire her less because of the 
chaste and delicate pearls which encircle her throat ? I think not. To 
be sure, these are not necessities. Life can be sustained and enjoyed 



EXTRACTS FROM ESSAYS. 57 

without theni ; but left to herself to choose, she instinctively adds to 
her personal charms by drawing upon Nature's treasure-house.— M. A. 
Hunt, before Florists 1 Session. 



Robert Craig on " The Present of Floriculture." 

Of one thing we can rest assured, as long as the love of the beautiful 
inheres in man, floriculture shall not lack ardent supporters. * ■* * 

In the great rush of American life the garden offers rest. * * * 
Much has lately been written, and well written, in the leading horti- 
cultural journals, of the adornment of the spacious grounds surround- 
ing the homes of the wealthy, but not enough in the way of suggestions 
as to the tasteful planting and correct culture of the smaller gardens 
of those not so endowed with worldly possessions ; there is not room in 
these little spots for extensive landscape effects ; they must be adorned 
in a more or less formal way, but such arrangement need not violate 
any principle of true art. * * * 

Besides the natural style of landscape gardening there is another 
known as the architectural or formal ; the latter recognizes that there 
exists in the minds of many a love of symmetry and regularity, and 
the outcome is the production of formal beds in various attractive pat- 
terns, which, when the work is skillfully done, are much admired. 
* * * 

There is another school of gardening known as the composite, which is 
willing to recognize merit in both of the other schools and whose present 
problem is to decide on the proper location and relations of illustrations 
of both methods, cheerfully recognizing that each is right in its own 
place. No less an authority than the distinguished French landscape 
gardener, Andre, has recently said: "To the composite style, which 
results from a mingling of the other two, under favorable conditions, 
belongs the future of gardening art. " * * * 

Some of the most gratifying exhibits at the World's Fair are the 
greenhouses and conservatories, which is the result of conferences be- 
tween the best cultivators of plants and the greatest architects, the 
outcome being that the structures are beautiful from an architectural 
standpoint and eminently adapted to the purpose required. * 

Another hopeful sign of the times is the interest taken in the im- 
proved varieties of outdoor bedding plants, such as roses, geraniums, 
carnations, verbenas, etc. This is notable in the case of the dwarf 
large-flowering cannas of the ' ' Crozy ' ' type. These latter are destined 



58 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

to play a great part in the future of American gardening ; they not 
only produce a continuation of brilliant bloom, but are also graceful 
in foliage and growth. * * * 

The canna is a grand plant, and its improvement is yet in its in- 
fancy. Like the chrysanthemum, it is destined to grow in popularity. 

* * ¥r 

While outdoor gardening is receiving due attention, there was never 
a time when plants under glass and flowers for cutting were grown in 
such perfection, the improved greenhouses of to-day contributing 
greatly to the result. The growing interest in aquatic plants is espe- 
cially noticeable ; their cultivation is yearly better understood. * * * 

The modern trade catalogue must not be forgotten among the 
agencies which advance horticulture. They are educational in a high 
degree, and their illustrations are faithful to nature more than at any 
previous time. * * * 

It is to be hoped that botanical gardens will soon be established in 
several large cities. * * * 

On the whole, the outlook is very encouraging ; it is only necessary 
for each of us, while being diligent in our own business, to make some 
pergonal sacrifice for the public good, and to help by our sympathy 
and work all societies, clubs, and managers of public exhibitions in 
every reasonable way. 

E. G. Hill on " The Future of Floriculture." 

The word floriculture, strictly defined, means the culture of flowers, 
but each day gives to it a wider significance ; it means not only the 
growing of plants and the production of flowers, but it also implies the 
artistic arrangement of both, either in the embellishment of grounds 
or the decoration of interiors ; it implies a knowledge of the laws 
which govern plant life ; an understanding of the soils from which 
they derive their sustenance ; an acquaintance with their enemies and 
how to conquer them. 

Wonderful lessons are learned by a study of plant life, if only it is 
studied seriously ; the artist is taught form, arrangement and color ; 
pendent branches, trailing vines, glossy foliage, are suggestions of 
value to the decorator. * * * 

Floriculture has a great future in America, from the fact that the 
home is the center and citadel of our American civilization. The 
homes of the future will conserve and support our art. * * * 

One of the greatest educational influences of the times is the work 
done by the horticultural press in so attractively leading their readers 



EXTRACTS FROM ESSAYS. 59 

on to a higher standard of home adornment. In addition to the plants 
now in general use, we shall see from year to year an increasing 
demand for the more purely decorative plants, such as palms, dra- 
ca'nas. pandanus, and crotons for interiors, while the newer trees and 
shrubs will attract increasing interest. * * * 

Contrast the old country hurying-ground with the modern cemetery, 
and see what landscape art and floriculture have done ; and this work 
is only in its infancy, with a wide outlook for the future. * * * 

The successful florist of the future must be an artist as well as a 
mere grower of plants ; our profession is both an art and a science. 

* * * 

The artistic florist will make his place a model which the average 
customer may safely copy, not, as now so often seen, an aggregation of 
ghuss houses, workshops, dirt piles, disorder, and anything but a place 
of floral beauty. * * * 

Technical schools will do for floriculture what the industrial schools 
are doing for workers in metals, fabrics, and woods. Such institutions 
already have a footing in Europe, and their influence is being felt 
through the young men of the profession. * * * 

The men who elevate their professions are invariably students, 
whether in or out of school, men who by research and study solve 
problems and make rough paths straight. * * * 

There is no reason why theory and practice need be divorced in 
floriculture. I can do no better than quote Mr. A. Whittle's admir- 
able words at our fourth convention : "When will the world know 
horticulture to be what it is— a pursuit that requires of its workers 
constant forethought and continual study ? When gardeners them- 
selves are willing to lift the class by the grand power of education 
from the rank of mere artisans, when by the careful and laborious 
investigation of the secrets of Nature we can advance theories and cite 
facts — not till then shall we have our place in the world of thought." 

* * * 

It is estimated that the twentieth century will see over a hundred 
million people north of the Rio Grande ; grant three-tenths of them a 
love for flowers, and do you see what the floriculture of the future 
must become? The future shall bring forth the wondrous product of 
the hybridizer ; new varieties of plants suited to climate and require- 
ment shall he produce. Great possibilities are in store for us in this 
direction ; America will, in the near future, produce its Lemoine, 
Guillot, and Veitch. 



From The Florists' Exchange, New York, September 16, 1893. 

MODERN METHODS OF THE SEED TRADE. 

BY C. L. ALLEN. 

THE American seed trade and the growing of seeds as an industry 
have made rapid progress in our country within the past sixty 
years. Previous to 1 830 there were but few men in America 
that were seedsmen by profession. Some of the few had established 
seed houses that are still an honor to the craft and the nation ; they 
were growers as well as sellers of seeds, and they figured largely in the 
development of the industry. With the growth of the country seed 
houses sprang up rapidly, keeping pace with other classes of business. 
In most cases the merchants were seed sellers rather than seedsmen ; 
they bought and sold seeds as they would buy and sell grain, simply 
by name and from external appearances. There were but few men 
that knew varieties of other than the more common vegetables, and 
these men were of foreign birth, and brought with them deep-seated 
convictions that, while good vegetables and flowers could be grown in 
this country their seeds could not, and but little effort was made to 
produce other than those that could not be grown in Europe. 

The seedsmen of that period had but few varieties to offer, and these 
were accepted without question or thought that there were, or might 
be, better ones elsewhere. Beyond the narrow limits of the cities, 
their suburbs, and the larger towns and villages, gardening was done 
on a limited scale only. But little attention was paid to luxuries, 
and what were considered as such then, are now regarded necessities. 
Such sorts as contributed to the support of life were cultivated, and 
the seeds from these were carefully saved for use the coming year. 

The smaller towns and villages were supplied by the Shakers, who 
were among the first to distribute seeds throughout the country, and 
the quantity sold was exceedingly small. The vegetable garden was 
well ordered when it would furnish marrowfat peas, Mohawk beans, 
Wethersfield red onions, Early York and Flat Dutch cabbage, Cluster 
cucumber, Bush and Canada crook-neck squash, and Tuscarora corn. 

60 



MODERN METHODS OF THE SEED TRADE. 61 

In the rural districts there was but little money, and that had to meet 
urgent necessities, and when the garden was planted a friendly inter- 
change of seeds among neighbors was the practice. 

Contrast the past with the present and note the change ! Scarcely a 
variety of vegetable that was then grown is now in use, and some 
species then unknown as vegetables are now the most generally cul- 
tivated of any in the garden. Seed-growing has become one of the 
most important industries we have. Our wharves and warehouses 
then groaned under the weight of seeds coming into this country ; 
they now groan under the loads going out. Those who now sell seeds 
arc as a rule, seedsmen, and their business is conducted on that broad 
scale, and with the zeal and intelligence that is so prominent a feature 
in all our commercial transactions. They not only buy, sell, and pro- 
duce, but they know what they are buying, selling, and producing. 
They fully understand the fundamental principles of agriculture, 
which includes the development by selection. They understand the 
causes of variation through climatic influences and conditions of soil ; 
they know what varieties are best adapted to the varidus conditions 
that exist in this wide range of country ; they know how and where 
the best seed is produced. The fact that a given variety is of great 
value in one section or locality and valueless in another not far dis- 
tant, is fully understood, which enables them to provide wisely for 
each locality. 

Herein lies the difference between the seedsman and the man who 
sells seed. The one sells with a full knowledge of what he is selling, 
and the other regardless of it. There is but one school where this 
knowledge can be obtained; that school is the farm or garden, and ex- 
perience is the teacher. To obtain a comprehensive knowledge of 
seeds and plants one must become thoroughly acquainted with them ; 
they must commence with the seed when it is put into the earth and 
carefully study each metamorphosis until it reproduces itself, and 
when we consider the vast number of varieties, each having peculiari- 
ties strictly its own, and requiring conditions suited to it, this is no 
easy task. To gain this knowledge seedsmen established what are 
called 

Trial Grounds, 

which are systematic plantings of everything they sell, and what is 
offered to them for sale, in order to test the relative and intrinsic merits 
of each. One of the most extensive of these we have ever visited is 
that of W. Atlee Burpee & Co., at Fordhook Farm. 



62 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

This farm is situated near Doylestown, Bucks Co., Pa. ; — the land is 
rolling, mostly friable loam, underlaid with red sandstone, and inter- 
mediate in character between a heavy and light soil, the best possible 
for general trials, and the results will be the same as on the average 
farms of the country. As all varieties of soils are not to be expected 
on one farm, the one that is best adapted to the greatest number of 
varieties offers the greatest advantage for this purpose. 

A visit to this farm is a rare treat to those who are fond of the 
beautiful in floral forms, but doubly so to those who come to study 
the plant as a whole. As we called, not to see, but to study methods 
of cultivation, and the value of what is produced, we note our obser- 
vations of the objects and results of the trials made there. We take 
them in the order shown us, as it best illustrates the purposes and 
methods of Mr. Burpee ; they are as follows : — 

First — Trials of all stocks of vegetable seeds a year previous to their 
being sent out, in order to test the quality of the product. 

This is the seedsman's sheet anchor; upon it he depends for an ac- 
curate knowledge of the quality of the seeds he sends out. The im- 
portance of this cannot be over-estimated. However careful he may 
be to secure the best stocks, he must of necessity depend upon the 
growers of all countries, and in many sections of the same country, for 
his supply, and, while he employs every safeguard possible, he is 
liable to get stocks that are unsatisfactory. This is particularly true 
in case of short crops, in which case the growers and wholesale dealers, 
anxious to fill all orders, are liable to use seeds that are not up to the 
highest standard. Besides that, climatic influences have much to do 
in changing the character of types, so that with the greatest possible 
care results are disappointing. On the other hand, the very best 
strains of seed, those that give the best satisfaction in one locality, may 
be worthless in another ; in both cases the seedsman will he held re- 
sponsible for the results. It is therefore highly important for him to 
know the true character of the article he sells, and the only way to 
know is to prove by actual trial just what the seeds will produce. 
This is done at Fordhook in the most careful and systematic way. Of 
radishes, beets, turnips, onions, lettuce, and all other vegetable seeds 
that are usually sown in drills there is a row ten feet in length sown, 
the soil first being prepared in the best manner, and made as rich as is 
necessary to produce good results, not with the expectation of great 
results, but simply to show what the purchaser is to expect from ordi- 
nary cultivation. Each plant is allowed sufficient room for its perfect 



MODERN METHODS OF THE SEED TRA DE. 63 

development, and the same care is given in cultivation that is required 
in all well-ordered gardens. A record is kept of the date of planting, 
time of germination, and the conditions of the weather. "When the 
product is ready for use, the crops are thoroughly inspected, and notes 
made of size, color, shape, and quality of the vegetahle, and if, from 
any cause, there is a mixture. If the test proves 'satisfactory, the 
stock is marked for use; if the reverse, it is discarded, and that with- 
out regard to its cost. If, because of some unfavorable condition of 
climate, the test is not up to the standard, another year's trial is given 
it, the result of which is final. All vine seeds, and such as require 
much room, are given all they require and are put to the same severe 
test. 

Second — The testing of the leading seeds sold by competitor* in the 
trade. 

In warfare the first duty of the general is to ascertain the strength 
of the enemy ; and the seedsman who is awake to his interests must 
know just what others in the trade are offering their customers, so 
that if they have discovered a better variety, or a better source of sup- 
ply for the same variety, he can avail himself of it. The interest now 
taken in horticulture has made every gardener a critic, and the seeds- 
man who has not the best of every thing will soon find himself without 
a clientage. Here the same care is given the competitor's stocks as 
with Mr. Burpee's own ; as they are grown for information, they are 
grown as well as possible, in order that the best may be given. 

In this connection is placed the seeds sold by many of the large dry- 
goods houses throughout the country, and the trials, to say the least, 
are quite amusing. These houses buy at the lowest price seeds can 
be put up for, and sell by the single paper at less than one-half the 
price a good article costs the dealer. The result shows the utter worth- 
lessness of the seeds. Of the tests we saw, not one had a single speci- 
men worthy of the name it bore. Yet there are always innocents 
enough to buy such seeds. 

Third — To test the quality or product of the various kinds of seeds 
grown in different countries. 

For the seedsman this trial is the first in importance. Upon this 
depends wholly his choice in the locality where he is to procure his 
stocks. The first thought of the seedsman is, Where can the best seeds 
be procured ? The second is, Where can the best be procured at the 
lowest price? Seed-growing has become an important industry 



64 SELECTIONS IN SEED GROWING. 

throughout the world, and the merchant now obtains his supply not 
only from the extreme east and west of this country, but also from 
Europe, Asia, and Africa, and from the isles of the Pacific. 

In common with all other business, competition is so aggressive that 
in order to keep trade it becomes necessary to buy cheaply — not cheap 
seeds — but good seeds at the lowest possible price. Formerly the 
growing of seeds was a profitable industry, more so than any other 
branch of agriculture, and the tillers of the soil in all parts of the 
world entered largely into it. In some countries the industry proved 
very successful, because all the conditions of soil and climate were 
favorable, and the low price of labor enabled the seed grower to pro- 
duce cheaply. In these localities, there are always to be found men 
who are faithful to their trusts, others who are not. In order to select 
wisely, tests must be made of the various products. To that end the 
onion seed from the leading growers in California and Connecticut are 
placed side by side with those grown in other parts of this country and 
in Europe. All being grown under the same conditions, a comparative 
test of quality is made that guides aright when orders are placed for a 
supply. These tests are of immense value to the florist and market 
gardener, because they know when their seeds are planted just what 
the results will be under favorable circumstances, providing they per- 
form well their part. 

Fourth — To test novelties with a view to their introduction. 

The development of taste for horticulture and floriculture has created 
an immense demand for anything new that is offered, and every known 
part of the globe has been called upon to contribute from its flora to satisfy 
this desire. We will say here, the more rare flowers of one country are 
the common weeds of another. To this fact is due the introduction of 
some of our common weeds as " rare novelties." Let us take an in- 
stance. A few years ago some foreign seed houses introduced the 
Budbeckia of our southern and western prairies — a troublesome weed 
with a very showy flower — as a rare plant, and our Government seed 
shop bought of it largely to distribute in States where a fine is imposed 
for the introduction of just such seeds. Its botanical name hid its 
true character from all but the few who had made plants a study. 

In order to prove all things and "hold fast that which is good," 
every " novelty " offered is given the very best possible chance to show 
its usefulness, in order to know whether the patrons of this firm would 
be benefited or injured by its introduction. A very large proportion 
of the new things sent out are disappointing, not because they are not 



MODERN METHODS OF THE SEED TRADE. 67 

as beautiful or useful as described, but because our climatic conditions 
are not favorable for tbeir development. Hence the importance of a 
test, which is made decisive at Fordhook before any novelty is recom- 
mended. 

Fifth — To grow for stock seed. 

Stock seed is the seedsman's corner-stone ; his main dependence for a 
supply of any given variety rests wholly upon having stocks to grow 
from that are absolutely true to a given type. Years of constant care 
in selection are necessary to produce a type, and if the same care that 
was given to procure a type is not employed to preserve it deteriora- 
tion will soon result. It is highly important, too, to do this work 
where the variety will, with good cultivation, remain true to type. 
The best directed efforts in this work are useless if the natural condi- 
tions of soil and climate are unfavorable. The casual observer has not 
the slightest appreciation of this work, nor is aware of the amount of 
labor and constant watchfulness required to keep any type up to a high 
standard. Each variety must be grown so far from any allied sort that 
cross fertilization is out of the question. No two varieties of any of the 
cereals can be safely grown on the same farm, as cross fertilization may 
occur through the agency of the winds. Vines will suffer in as great a 
degree through insect visits. 

The growing of stock seed is systematically carried on at Fordhook. 
Several small plantings, say one acre each, of a new white cucumber 
were noticed ; these were so far apart that an accident to one would 
not in any way affect another. These are watched with the greatest 
care to detect any variation in form or color; should the slightest 
appear, the plant is at once discarded. And, for this purpose, no plant 
of any kind is allowed to remain if it has on it any poor specimen of 
fruits. We cannot go into the detail of this work, but will say that 
every variety grown in this country for seed purposes is given the same 
care as the one noticed, which will show the extent of this important 
work. 

Sixth — The growing of choice annuals for seed purposes. 

The growing of flower seeds is not carried on to any great extent in 
this country, "because of the high price of labor. Bot there are some 
things, such as balsams, salvias, zinnias, mignonette, and petunias, 
that, because the adulteration of seeds is such a common practice, it is 
necessary for the seedsman to have these grown under his own per- 
sonal supervision. Of course, all the cheaper grades are imported, but 
5 



68 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

such as the amateur and florist requires must needs be beyond question 
as to purity, quality, and germinating power. To see the best sorts 
grown with care, where each plant has sufficient room for develop- 
ment and an abundant supply of plant food, is to be convinced 
that what are often considered overdrawn illustrations are practically 
truthful. 

Seventh — Development by selection. 

There is a natural tendency in plants to "sport" — that is, to assume 
some new character, either as regards size, color, or vigor. These 
sports are quite likely to remain constant, but they must be tried 
thoroughly, and as they appear in each case singly, before there is 
sufficient stock for purposes of sale, there is sufficient opportunity. 
But the utmost care must be given them to establish a new type, and 
a constant watch kept to see if there is no further variation. If, in 
three or four generations, the type becomes established, a new variety 
is secured, and it is offered to the public. 

In this department the work of cross fertilization is carried on, 
which is simply uniting the good qualities of two varieties into one, 
as in the flower combining the color of one flower with the size or 
shape of another ; and, too, the flower of a weak plant is introduced to 
the plant that is vigorous, but with poor flowers. Also, in the vege- 
table, to unite the esculent properties of the one with the productive 
properties of the other. After the cross has been effected, the work of 
selection commences. If the cross has been effectual, there will be as 
many varieties as there are seeds in the capsules, as such as are worthy 
of perpetuation are chosen and grown on from year to year, always 
discarding the undesirable, until finally the desired character has been 
secured. 

This is the work of the specialist, and it will be valuable just in 
proportion to the care given. The casual visitor at Fordhook will not 
see this, because the inventor never shows his work until it is 
complete, but it is to be found there, going on in a quiet but effective 
manner. 

Eighth — Educational. 

In any business as large as that of the modern seedsman it is neces- 
sary to have a large number of reliable young men so educated that 
they will be capable to fill the highest position in the business. An 
ordinary clerk in a seed store rarely knows anything about what he 
sells ; his operations are mechanical, but there must needs be some 



MODERN METHODS OF THE SEED TEA Pi:. 69 

one in each department who is perfectly familiar with all the detail- 
of the business. This requires a large force^ and to be titled for the 

work they must graduate from the trial farm, where they have studied 
the plant, its habits, and requirements ; they must know if, not about 
it. The well-ordered trial farm is the curriculum for any young man 
who wishes to become familiar with every department of horticulture. 
In one year he will learn more here than during a lifetime in college. 
By this means Mr. Burpee is enabled to secure an intelligent, well- 
organized force for the detail of his business. 

Ninth — Testing the vitality of seeds. 

The testing of seeds to show their germinating properties before 
sending out is a practice of vital importance to seedsmen, and one thai 
is but seldom systematically practiced. The germinating power of 
seeds is very variable ; some varieties must be sown as soon as ripe or 
they will not reproduce the species, as they quickly lose their vitality. 
Others will retain their germinating powers for a period often or more 
years, while it is safe to depend upon most seeds for from three to five 
years. But because seeds on an average retain their vitality for a 
period of four years when grown and secured under favorable circum- 
stances, it does not follow that it is safe to sell or plant any seed until 
a test has been made. There are many latent defects in seeds arising 
from causes but little understood ; these can only be revealed by bhe 
crucial test of a germinating bench, where all seeds are tested before 
being put up in packets for sending out. 

Many seeds may lose their vitality without any marked change in 
external appearance, a fact that has enabled unscrupulous dealers to 
adulterate with seeds that have lost their vitality through age, or by 
mixing with seeds of the same genus that have been purposely treated 
to destroy vitality. This practice has been carried on to a very great 
extent, but it is no longer available where thorough tests of germina- 
tion are made. 

Another very important object in making these tests is to guard 
against unjust complaints from the buyers. Seeds often fail to 
grow because j)roper care in sowing has not been given ; too deep plant- 
ing is often a cause of failure, and planting in soils not properly 
prepared is a more frequent cause. We have often seen large .sowings 
destroyed by heavy rains falling just before the young plants were 
ready to break forth ; these rains packed the soil so hard when it be- 
came dried by the sun the germs had not sufficient strength to break 
through, and failure was the result. Failure to germinate, no matter 



70 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

from what cause, is generally attributed to the seed, and these com- 
plaints are of such frequent occurrence that tests in order to prove the 
vitality of seeds are absolutely necessary. They avoid great difficulty, 
because the seedsman knows that it is not the fault of the seed, and 
in almost every case he can convince his customer that loss came from 
improper care in sowing, or 1'rom unfavorable climatic conditions. 

These tests are systematically carried on at Fordhook, where green- 
houses that can be kept at the proper temperature are provided for 
this purpose. Herein are sown seeds of all kinds and of all ages, in 
drills four inches apart, one hundred seeds of a kind in a drill, and 
covered from one-eighth to one-half an inch in depth, according to the 
size of the seed. A careful record is made of each sowing, as to date, 
age, and grower of the seed. These sowings have the most constant 
attention in order to note the progress of germination, as it is quite as 
important to the market gardener to have the seed come regularly as 
it is to have a large percentage of germination. Providing the sam- 
ple tested is all of the same season's growth, there is no better evi 
dence of a well-selected strain than to have an even germination. It 
is important to the seedsman as well, for it shows plainly whether the 
grower has mixed the old with the new crop, in which case the stock 
would be returned to the grower, The watchful care of Mr. Burpee 
in this direction is one of the many safeguards he throws around his 
business. Although expensive, it is in the end cheap insurance and 
a most valuable auxiliary. 



Front the Public Ledger, Philadelphia, Tuesday, September 19, 1898. 

FARM AND GARDEN. 

AUTUMN'S GLORY. 
" How shall I crown this child ? " fair Summer said : 
" May wasted all her violets long ago ; 

No longer on the hills June's roses glow, 

Flushing with tender bloom the pasture wide : 

My stately lilies one by one have died ; 

The clematis is but a ghost, and lo ! 

In the fair meadow lands no daisies blow. 

How shall I crown this summer child? " she sighed, , 

Then quickly smiled : " For him, for him," she said, 
"On every hill my golden rod shall flame, 

Token of all my prescient soul foretells : 

His shall be golden song and golden fame, 

Long golden years with love and honor wed, 

And crowns at last of silver immortelles/' 

— J. C. R. Dorr. 

THE business of the month is the seed for next season's growing. 
Some grow their own seed, and such have had next season's 
needs in mind since the growth of this 3 r ear began. Like pro- 
duces like, they say. And whatever they have grown or have seen 
growing that was worth reproducing they have marked as to be saved 
for seeding. Some have even gone further and have made note of 
special features, either of growth, time of maturing, flavor, etc., and 
have already an interest in the next year's work in the anticipation 
that the promise will be fulfilled. 

Those who do not grow their seeds, but make a list each year for the 
seedsman to fill, are sometimes so far thoughtful as to inquire where 
these seeds were grown and to find out the care that is taken to prove 
them good. Seed growing is an exceedingly interesting matter, but 
not more so than are the methods seedsmen take to protect their good 
name ; that is, to provide good seed and the proof that it is so. One 
can judge fairly well of grains and tubers, but of vegetable and flower 

71 



72 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

seeds a very lair semblance to the uninitiated may be worthless as 
chaff. 

It was to find out about it that Fordhook Farm, W. Atlee Burpee's 
place at Doylestown, was visited. The first knowledge gained was 
that seed is grown where the conditions of climate, soil, etc., are best 
suited to its peculiar needs, and where best results can be obtained. 
Thus lettuce seed is grown in California, cucumber seed in central 
New York, cauliflower in Denmark, cabbage between the sound and 
ocean on Long Island, beans, peas, and turnip seed in New York and 
Canada, watermelon in Florida, okra and egg-plant in Georgia, musk- 
melon in New Jersey, potatoes and tomatoes in this vicinity. Seed is 
furnished to such growers in each vicinity as have the location and 
facilities for turning out best results. More than this, other sorts of 
many of the varieties must not be grown in the near vicinity, lest the 
pollen shall be carried by bees or the wind, and undesirable crosses 
result. 

When the seeds are delivered and while yet in bulk a sample is 
taken* for the two tests of vitality and purity. For vitality they are 
sown in frames, and the time of germinating and the character of the 
first growth noted. If up to the standard, the seeds are endorsed and 
accepted. If questionable, a second trial is given, when, if the result 
is not entirely satisfactory, the package is closed again and returned to 
the grower. This test is a matter of a few days only, whereas the test 
for purity is a whole season's work. For this every variety of seed is 
numbered, and a sample is sown between two stakes, bearing the same 
numbers, and an entry giving every particular concerning the seed is 
made in the purity book against the same number. As a rule, the 
seeds grown from the plants in this test are not saved, but a very close 
watch is kept of every growth, and when anything appears that is new 
or strange or especially desirable a string is tied about it or a tall stake 
is driven beside it and the seed is gathered for experimenting. 

Certain seeds, as black Lima beans, tomato, mignonette, verbena, 
and petunia are grown. Where the seeds have only to be threshed 
out, the plants are cut close to the earth and brought to the seed-house 
in sheets, each variety by itself, and on these sheets are exposed to the 
air and sun until perfectly cured, when they are threshed with a flail, 
cleaned by machine, tested for vitality, and, if satisfactory, sent to the 
storehouse for marketing. 

Tomato seed is saved by crushing the fruit in vats of water and 
leaving it to ferment, when the seeds drop to the bottom. The pulp is 
then run off and the seeds are washed, drained, and dried. At Ford- 



MODERN METHODS IN SEED GRO WING. 73 

hook Farm the pulp from the vat is washed into a small pond. The 
ducks on the farm found out about it and left their own swimming 
place for it, and whenever the fermenting pulp was washed away 
would become grossly intoxicated. Gradually these ducks began to 
lose in condition, and a post-mortem examination proved a temperance 
lecture, in that the digestive organs were badly worsted by the fer- 
mented liquor, and in some of the birds were almost destroyed. 



The tool-house of Fordhook Farm holds a suggestion. Every tool 
that can be needed is provided. Each one is numbered, and the number 
is that of the section in the house where they belong when not in use, 
and of the workman who may use those of the number and no others. 
If the section is empty or the tools are found lying about, it is easy to 
place the blame, and one who is careless with tools is considered to be 
careless in other matters, and is not wanted. 



Mr. Darlington, the superintendent at Fordhook Farm, confirms the 
statement made in the Ledger a few weeks back that plants produced 
from the seeds of unripe tomatoes were earlier In ripening the fruit, 
but adds -that the vitality of the plant is less. The Director of the 
New York Experiment Station gives as a reason for the earlier ripen- 
ing the scant foliage usual to the plant from unripened seeds being but 
little obstructive to the sunlight, the fruit being exposed at all times. 
Another experiment in which he was interested was with the seeds of 
large and small tomatoes from the same plant. The seed from the 
small fruits produced plants of but medium vigor and productiveness, 
but the fruit was as large as that from the large fruit, and very much 
earlier. The latter 1 s plants were more vigorous and productive, but 
the fruit was ten days later. 



At Fordhook, as soon as a patch is cleared, whether of dowers or 
vegetables, it is sown to clover, to be plowed under the next spring. 



From The Daily Democrat, Doylestoien, Pa., Thursday, September 7, 1898. 

CARPENTERS AT F0RDH00K. 

MANY IMPROVEMENTS BEING MADE AT THE FARM — W. ATLEE 
BURPEE & COMPANY'S NEW SEED HOUSE. 

THE sound of the hammer is echoing about Fordhook farm just 
now. The finishing touches to a great number of improve- 
ments are being made. The most important is the big seed- 
drying house about completed. The late Henry D. Livezey erected 
the building. . . . 

A hasty glance at the exterior of the building would not convey an 
idea of its merits, but close inspection shows that it has been carefully 
planned and built. The timbers are large and heavy. Light, venti- 
lation, and convenience have all been obtained. ... A magni- 
ficent view of the hills and valleys about Fordhook can be obtained 
from the cupola, wherein a big bell will be hung to sound the hours 
for beginning and quitting work. 

A complete tool room occupies a portion of the first floor. Here are 
also the seed drawers, seed cleaning room, sheet room, and the tables 
for sorting and cleaning the various seeds, which are dried upon sheets. 
The proprietor does not believe in artificial heat for drying purposes, 
claiming that it has a tendency to destroy the germinating properties 
of the seeds. Great care and work were necessary in the construction 
of the tables. Mr. Burpee has minute, dust-like seed, worth its 
weight in gold, and cracks in the tables would allow many a dollar to 
slip away. 

The bean-sorting tables are under chutes connecting with bins on the 
floor above. A metallic attachment regulates the supply wanted by 
the person engaged in sorting the good seed from the bad. The seed will 
be threshed with the old-fashioned flail, which requires high ceilings 
in the room where the work will be done. Through the center of the 
building is an open driveway and upon one side of the passage is 
located the elevator for hoisting and lowering crops in bulk. All 
seeds will be brought to this building to be dried and cured. In the 
cellars, which have smooth cement floors, potatoes will be stored. 

74 







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NE W FEA TUBES AT " FORDHOOK. ' ' 77 

Mr. Burpee is endeavoring to interest local farmers in the matter of 
growing seeds, and his systematic and carefully devised methods for 
their culture offer valuable suggestions to every fanner desirous of en- 
gaging in the business. In addition to other improvements there are 
three new poultry houses on the farm as complete as those described 
in the Democrat upon previous occasions. 

New stables have been built in the barn, being made of hard wood. 
Additional windows of the French pattern have been let into the walls 
In the eow stables cement floors with big gutters for flushing have been 
laid down. Sunlight and fresh air, economy in room, time, and labor 
have all had their influence in the creation of the plans for improve- 
ments and repairs. 

Howard M. Earl, manager, states that the Burpee trial grounds are 
planted with more than 5200 samples of seed this season. Mr. Earl 
has recently returned from Europe and after inspecting the famous 
trial grounds abroad, is satisfied that Fordhook will compare favorably 
with any in the world. In fact, the business at the farm has so 
increased that facilities were fast becoming inadequate, and the 
changes made have been a matter of necessity. 

New ventures are being made, and two new greenhouses, each 100 
feet long, will be ereeted this year, wherein will be propagated seeds 
and plants hitherto brought from Europe, including double petunias, 
gloxinias, etc. Mr. Burpee hopes to get better results by keeping 
everything under his own eye. The work in the building known as 
the office is also increasing, and the structure will hereafter be used 
exclusively for clerical work. 

Though Fordhook is a beautiful place to visit, where one can see 
evidences of thousands of dollars having been already expended, the 
owner is not yet content to rest, and is planning future improvements 
to be as substantial and commodious as those recently created. 



; From The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 8, 1892. 




A VISIT TO BEAUTIFUL 

"FORDHOOK" 

Among the Bucks County Hills. 



A BEWILDERING VARIETY OF GORGEOUS 
BLOSSOMS AND USEFUL PLANTS. 



How W. Atlee Burpee & Co. Have De- 
veloped All the Scientific and Artistic 
Possibilities Wrapped Up in Seeds — 
Trial Grounds and Their Uses— The 
Cleaning and Distribution of Seeds — 
New Varieties, How They Originate. 



SOME one of the old philosophers has said that the man who makes 
two plants grow where there w r as previously but one is a bene- 
factor of the human race. In that case, what shall we say of 
the man who makes many hundreds and thousands of plants grow 
where there was previously none at all ? This latter is what the pro* 
fessional seed-growers of the country are doing every year. 

-The article, "Where and How Seeds are Grown," first appeared with 
illustrations in The Philadelphia Inquirer, one of the oldest and best daily 
papers in America (established 1829). In our Farm Annual for 1893, owing 
to lack of space, considerable of this article was omitted; we now give it com- 
plete and trust that, aided by the bright pictures from photographs, it will enable 
our friends and customers everywhere to look, through the eyes of the Inquirer 
representative, upon work and results for which our time and capital are so 
freely given.—W. A. B. & CO. 

78 



A MODEL SEED FARM. 79 

The growing of seeds has come to be a science, the immensity and 

value of which is but little realized among the general public. . It has 
come to be numbered among the leading industries of the United 
States, and thousands of acres are given over annually to the produc- 
tion of the tiny germs whose subsequent activity and development are 
to delight the palate and gratify the senses of sight and smell of mil- 
lions of people. Vegetable and flower seeds are more particularly in- 
cluded in this generalization, as it is in these that the average citizen 
with no special agricultural learning feels the most personal interest. 

As may be imagined, the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania, with 
its rich, sunn}' fields and hillsides, one of the true garden spots of the 
country, has proven an attractive field to seed-growers, and there are 
in the immediate vicinity of Philadelphia a number of extensive seed 
farms, which are, if people were generally aware of it, centers of the 
deepest interest, and scenes of some of the most amazing scientific and 
natural processes that can be conceived. 

A Model Seed Farm. 

One of the largest, and at the same time most accessible and most 
finely located of these, is beautiful "Fordhook," the producing and 
testing center of W. Atlee Burpee & Co., which lies among the green 
hills of Bucks County, just outside the quiet, umbrageous little county- 
seat, Doylestown. Here the personal management and scientific skill 
of Mr. Burpee, the firm's head, has built up a veritable model seed 
farm, and as his generosity throws the gates open to visitors at all times, 
one can here wander through acre after acre of infinite varieties of pretty 
much all that old Mother Nature produces in the way of luscious vege- 
tables and lovely flowers. An Inquirer representative, who recently 
spent an entire day in tramping over the ground in company with 
Manager H. M. Earl, secured a most interesting and enjoyable revela- 
tion of many of the mysteries of nature's laboratory, together with the 
wonderful effects produced by the refining, cultivating influence of 
man's hand when he assists those same mysteries in their inception 
and development. 

The first glimpse of " Fordhook " which the visitor obtains is a 
"sudden flash of glorious color in the morning landscape just before the 
Reading Railroad train rolls into Doylestown depot. Acres of bright 
crimson scarlet sage and vari-hued balsam, mingling with the innumer- 
able tints of thousands of other flowers and the varying shades of soft 
green of the vegetable plots, form a striking picture which is a fit pre- 
lude to the detailed inspection of the scene to come. At the depot a 



80 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

buckboard is in waiting, and we are soon speeding over a bard, dry 
macadamized road, behind one of tbe big, sleek, plump " Fordbook " 
horses, and being put thoroughly at ease by Manager Earl, who handles 
the reins ; for courtesy is one of the prevailing characteristics at 
" Fordhook." and the visitor finds everywhere a delightful hospitality 
and attention, from the genial head of the firm down to the workers in 
the fields. 

A Delightful Section of Country. 

The northeast portion of the farm lying nearest Doylestown is a 
beautiful, shady piece of woodland, which, in spite of the value of 
every rod of ground for growing purposes, Mr. Burpee is determined 
shall always remain woodland. At the western entrance to the farm 
stands "The Cottage," the trim, neat summer residence of Mr. Burpee 
and his family, surrounded by sloping lawns studded with beds of 
bright flowers, and looking out across a magnificent stretch of green 
valleys and far- away blue hills to the south. Not far away is a little 
two-story structure, where is located the office, and this is the best 
point from which to start off and " do " the farm. Close at hand are 
the greenhouses used for starting early, tender seed, such as tomatoes 
and peppers in the spring, and alongside of these are rows of frames, 
where the young seedlings are ushered off, and given their first start in 
life before being transplanted to the open fields. 

Down the southward slope from the office, where they will get the 
full effects of the sun, are acre after acre of the humble but succulent 
bean, for the growing of which the Burpee house has a great reputation, 
especially in the production of new varieties. Many new forms are 
tried every year, and many sample packages of seed are distributed free 
in every section of the country, in order that reports may be obtained 
as to availability and growth, and a widespread judgment secured. 
However homely the subject, a field of beans is a picturesque sight when 
seen as here, where the rows are planted with the most mathematical 
accuracy, four feet apart each way. In the midst of the pole beans is 
seen an interesting instance of the methods adopted to secure purity of 
stock. There is a sudden break in the beans, and the gap is filled in 
with two rows of a new variety of sweet corn which is being tested, 
and wbich is thus isolated among the beans to prevent it being vitiated 
or affected by any other varieties of corn in the vicinity. Corn requires 
great care in this respect, as the light pollen is carried to extraordinary 
distances by the wind, resulting in the hybridization of the original 
stocks. 



THE HOME OF THE " BALSAM: 



M 



Some Wonderful Balsams. 

A field of bright-hued balsams next claims attention. One of tbe 
striking peculiarities of " Fordhook " is the manner in which the old- 
time simple flowers of our grandmothers' gardens have been refined, 
and by diligent, painstaking selection and cross-fertilization developed 
into the most gorgeous and beautiful blooms imaginable. This is par- 
ticularly the case with balsams, which are made the subject of special 
care and pride by Mr. Burpee and his assistants. One can hardly 
realize that these magnificent flowers which are here seen massed by 
the acre are developed from the old familiar lady-slipper. They are of 




imm 

i vi V : l :^mki\ 



every imaginable hue and tint, from gaudy scarlet and purple to a 
delicate rose-pink, and they are fully as double as roses. 

Mr. Burpee claims that ''Fordhook" presents the finest stock of 
balsams in the world, and certainly one can imagine nothing to excel 
the display which here feasts the eye. Close at hand are beds of very 
rich, red, tulip-colored poppies, which, like most of the floral novelties 
tested at " Fordhook/' come from across the water. " Europe," says 
Mr. Earl, " is the fountain-head of flowers ; we are constantly receiv- 
ing and testing varieties from there. The growers and hybridizers in 
the old countries have great advantage over us in taste and experience. " 



82 SELECTION IN SEED GEO WING. 

In spite of which, however, it is hard to conceive of any higher develop- 
ment of taste and beauty than we see in the flower-beds in all parts of 
"Fordhook." 

A great blaze of warm, deep crimson color tells us we have reached 
the principal beds of Salvia splendens, or scarlet sage, which is a con- 
spicuous flower in numerous parts of the farm and which gives a strong, 
ruddy dash of color to every spot in which it penetrates. Scarlet sage 
has probably never before been seen in such a high state of develop- 
ment as it has reached here. It is much improved in habit of growth 
and the plants are more compact than the scarlet sage of the old- 
fashioned garden. Here is noticed a curious instance of what the 
gardeners and growers call a "sport," or erratic deviation from the 
original stock. This is nothing less than a white scarlet sage, or, in 
other words, one that is not scarlet at all, but pure white, growing 
directly in the midst of the thousands of deep-colored flowers. The 
seed from this " sport " will be carefully saved and planted next year 
in an isolated position, and may result in the development of a new, 
white variety. It is in this way that many of the most valuable new 
varieties of both vegetables and flowers are obtained. 

Some Valuable Seed. 

Large plots of petunias close at hand flaunt their rich colors in the 
autumn breeze. Mr. Burpee has spent much care upon petunias, and 
has a special strain called " Defiance," which bear the most gorgeous 
blossoms imaginable, of all colors, and of wonderful size, many of the 
flowers being three, four, and even five inches across. It is an interest- 
ing fact that the higher the state of refinement a flower reaches, the 
scarcer is its seed, and this is well shown in this very "Defiance" 
petunia, whose seed is so rare that it is worth $50 per ounce, and the 
entire product of seed from an acre of flowers is but a few ounces ; 
common petunias produce from forty to fifty pounds of seed to the 
acre, and it brings from $4 per pound up. 

New and Interesting Varieties. 

The visitor is everywhere surprised by some new and interesting 
novelty literally cropping up from under his very feet as he traverses 
" Fordhook." Here, for instance, we strike a funny little wrinkled 
pepper, which comes all the way from South America, and which has 
a taste as distinctly fiery as the hot-headed nations of the Southern 
republics. A few steps further on we come to another of Mr. Burpee's 
pets, a curious dwarf bean, known as Burpee's bush lima, which holds 



UTILITY AND BEAUTY COMBINED. 83 

itself in the air without the assistance of a pole, and which bears deli- 
cious, big, sweet beans, looking good enough to eat raw. This variety 
has a curious history. A Chester County farmer one year planted a 
number of ordinary pole lima beans, which voracious cut - worms 
promptly destroyed as soon as they had attained a good growth. 
Among the wreck was found a " sport " in the shape of a dwarf bean, 
which took on itself bush}' characteristics, and ignored the poles. 
The farmer took care of it, sent the seed to " Fording," and, by skill, 
science, and industry Mr. Burpee succeeded in maintaining the presenl 
valuable form. This bush bean is considered by growers everywhere to 
be one of the greatest horticultural achievements of the age. The bean 
is a peculiar plant, according to the experience at Fordhook. For 
instance, not long ago, thirty varieties which were sent up from Lima, 
Peru, the home of the vegetable, were thoroughly tested in the farm's 
trial grounds, and not one was found to be of practical value. 

Cockscomb and Sage. 

More flowers come into view, the arrangements a£ the farm involving 
a delightful and novel alternation of vegetables and flowers, which has 
not only its esthetic side to the visitor, but also its utilitarian side to 
the grower, as it is a precaution against mixing by cross fertilization of 
allied varieties in either class. Here we find a massive stretch of 
Celosia, which is cockscomb, and yet which is not cockscomb in the 
old-fashioned sense, for these magnificent, velvety flowers, of rich ruby 
crimson, low of growth, and forming splendid, compact clusters, 
would have been a revelation to our ancestors. In brilliant contrast is 
a large patch of Salvia patens, or blue sage, which presents the richest 
blue of any flower known. This is .a very delicate plant in Europe, 
and needs tender care in greenhouses, but it grows luxuriantly and 
hardily enough out in the open fields here at Fordhook. The next 
plot of vegetables includes an unique climbing cucumber, of Japanese 
origin, and a little further on is a large patch of a pure white cucum- 
ber, which is notable from the fact that it contains none of the peculiar 
sharp taste which the skin communicates to the common green variety. 
We here see a special variety of sw r eet corn, which is the result of four 
or five years of careful hybridization. 

The grain is very deep, and the cob shows up comparatively small 
when the ear is broken across. We skirt around a field of beautiful, 
feathery asparagus, which will be sending up succulent shoots next 
spring, and strike into several acres of tomatoes, among which is a 
peculiar pear-shaped variety. Tomatoes are one of the bugbears of the 



84 



SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 



grower's life. Hundreds of new varieties are coming out all the time, 
and all of these which give any promise of good qualities are conscien- 
tiously tested at " Fordhook," often with the most discouraging 
results. The qualifications of a good tomato are uniformity of color, 
as few seeds as possible, and lack of tendency to crack when ripening, 
and the last seems the hardest to fulfill. Here we chance upon a 
curious little tomato, known as the husk tomato, and which is the old 
"ground cherry " revived ; it is about the size and shape of a hickory 
nut, and its only use is for preserving. 

Another big field of beans is encountered, and here we strike the 




Sunshine Wax, which is of a beautiful golden yellow, and is regarded 
as the highest type of string bean. Like the bush lima this also had 
an interesting origin, being derived from a " sport" in the fields of an 
old Long Island farmer. 



Among Lovely Flowers. 

Two acres of mixed phlox form an attractive picture, these beauti- 
ful flowers being another of Mr. Burpee's particular favorities. Not 
far from the phlox patch is found an interesting balsam " sport," with 
beautifully striped and blotched petals. This bears a distinctive num- 
ber, and is classified upon the farm's books by the patch in which it 



THE TRIAL GROUNDS. 85 

grows and other characteristics which go to make up a flower's pedi- 
gree. Much of Mr. Burpee's success in obtaining such magnificent 
varieties of plants is due to this principle of selecting and growing 
only the finest specimens, breeding them as carefully as blooded ani- 
mals are bred, and keeping a regular plant pedigree. 

Among the many beautiful flowers we here see a bed of dwarf fire 
ball zinnia, and near at hand a mass of the curiously beautiful giant 
spider plant, whose seed-pods, quivering on the ends of slender stipules, 
present a startling resemblance to the extended legs of an immense 
spider, with the corolla of the flower in the center as a body. Then 
here is the royal purple balsam, which is a single flower across the 
water, but which at " Fordhook " is beautifully double, and causes 
foreign visitors to open their eyes in consequence. Two acres of splen- 
did mignonette were, a few weeks back, scenting the air sweetly for 
yards around, but the cold nights have now nipped these, and their 
seed is already in process of drying. Some other balsams are met 
here, known as the camellia flowered, and which are ranked next to 
the " Defiance " strain. The " Daisy Miller "is a beautiful flower, 
pure white in color, with a most marvelously delicate lavender-tinged 
center, while the " Perfection " is spotlessly white, and is much used 
by florists for wire work. An unique and pretty variety of phlox is 
streaked like a star and handsomely fringed around the edges of the 
petals. A couple of interesting vegetable "sports" are the Golden 
Queen tomato, which is a beautiful yellow color and of delicious 
flavor, and some monstrous peppers, six and eight inches long, of divers 
shapes. A hardy-looking patch of strawberry plants is; we are told, 
the Parker Earle, named after the president of a Western horticultural 
society, and which, besides possessing a fine flavor, has roots which 
go deep into the ground and defy upheaving frosts. 

The Trial Grounds. 

One of the ruling principles of ''Fordhook" is to experiment all 
things, then retain and develop the best. The work of experimenting 
with the qualities of hundreds of varieties of growing things is one 
of the most interesting and important features of the farm. The 
trial grounds occupy between five and six acres upon the eastern side, 
and the average visitor who has a liking for the beautiful in nature or 
for the innermost science of horticulture would gladly spend an entire 
day here. Before taking a hasty glance at the trial grounds it is neces- 
sary to say something about how original stocks are obtained by Mr. 
Burpee. It has been found that different seeds ripen and mature best 
6 



86 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

in different sections of the country, or in different countries, slight dis- 
tinctions of soil or climate having an immense influence on the proper 
development of plants. For this reason many of the Burpee seeds are 
the product of special groAvers located in various States or in various 
foreign countries. Thus it has heen found that peas and beans mature 
best in the northwestern part of New York and the adjoining region 
of Canada ; vine seeds, such as watermelons, do best in the damp, rich 
soil of Florida ; muskmelous, cucumbers, and squashes in New Jersey 
and Nebraska ; egg-plants in New Jersey and Georgia ; tomatoes in 
Pennsylvania and Ohio ; radish seed mostly comes from France. A 
large number of flower seeds and the large, mild onions come from 
Italy, and flowers of novel forms and hues are always being produced 
by almost every European country excepting Russia ; almost all the 
cabbage seed grown in this country comes from Bucks county, Pennsyl- 
vania, and Long Island, and the best cauliflower seed from Denmark ; 
lettuce seed gets its best growth in California ; in fact, the sub-tropical 
climate of portions of this latter State has proven excellent for many 
kinds of seeds which formerly had to be imported from abroad. 

Seeds From all Over the Globe. 

" Fordbook " farm, therefore, gets seed from all over the globe, even 
from such out-of-the-way countries as Russia and China, besides con- 
stantly receiving large quantities from the firm's own growers in dif- 
ferent parts of the United States, and samples of the principal introduc- 
tions of rival seedsmen from everywhere. All these seeds are carefully 
tested as to their growth and general qualities, and compared with 
one another in order that the very best may always be determined upon. 
It is for the making of these tests that the trial grounds are used. The 
grounds are divided up into thonsands of little, regular, oblong patches, 
in each of which is sown one kind of seed only. No extra fertilization 
or extraordinary cultivation is used upon these patches, care being taken 
that all seeds shall germinate and grow under precisely the same con- 
ditions as they would find in the fields of the average American farmer. 
Not only are all outside seeds tested here, but every one of the Burpee 
firm's own seeds are subjected to precisely the same conditions, in order 
not only that every comparison may be made, but that the standard of 
their own seed may not be allowed to fall. 

In addition to these tests, precautions are taken by sending out 
skilled inspectors to see that all crops grown for Burpee are first-class 
in every respect. 



COMPREHENSIVE RECORDS. 87 

A Novel Set of Books. 

The record of results attained in the trial grounds is a most interest- 
ing feature. This record is kept in a set of registry books stored in the 
office of the farm. Each plot of the grounds hears a number, and these 
numbers are entered upon the hooks, with all the characteristics of the 
various plants carefully noted opposite them as the season advances. 
The amount of clerical labor to be done in keeping this novel set of 
hooks can be estimated when it is known that during the season just 
ending there have been 3000 varieties of vegetable seeds, and 1240 
varieties of flower seeds tested in the trial beds.* To show something 
of the endless profusion of seeds handled it may be stated that of these 
4240 varieties there were 372samples of beans, 176 of cabbages, 40 beets, 
93 of sweet corn, 74 cucumbers, 88 of lettuce, 84 muskmelons, 110 
watermelons, 86 onions, 102 peas, 53 peppers. 45 potatoes. 45 pump 
kins, 7.'> radishes, 108 squashes, 26 of tobacco, and 118 tomatoes; 
among the flowers there were 70 varieties of balsams, 131 asters, 11 
poppies, 86 pansies, 33 petunias, 61 sweet peas, 27 scabiosas, and 24 
nasturtiums. Of course these are simply the leading species among 
hundreds here represented. 

The very first test is not made in the trial grounds, but in the green- 
house frames, where the seeds are examined as to their vitality, the 
latter involving consideration of the length of time they lie in the 
ground, when they germinate, and the rapidity of their growth, the 
results being noted down on a basis of percentage. 

A few hours' walk through the several thousand trial beds is full of 
interest and enjoyment, but it would take weeks and months spent as- 
siduously here to learn one-half of the interesting things to be learned, 
or to see one-half the beauties which are displayed at every turn. 

The Coming Flower. 

Not faraway are the plots of sweet peas, which call for special men- 
tion, not only on account of the magnificence to which these lovely 



* As will be seen, the total of trials for the season of 1892 was 4220. For 
the past season of 1893, our books sbow 2883 trials of Vegetable Seeds and 
2426 trials of Flower Seeds, a total of 5309. The following details will show 
something of the scope covered by these trials: — In Vegetables : Beans, 351 
trials; Beets, 73; Cabbage, 236; Sweet Corn, 195; Lettuce, 177; Melons, 
227; Onions, 131; Peas, 155; Potatoes, 60; Radishes, 145; Tomatoes, 131; 
Grass, 106, etc. Some of the leading items in Flower Sheds are — Pansies, 
230 trials; Sweet Peas, 137; Asters, 337; Balsams, 107; Ipomoea, 17: Nas- 
turtium and Tropgeolum, 60; Poppies, 87; Scabiosa, 53; Stocks, 97; Verbena, 
30 ; Zinnia, 34, etc.— W. A. B. & Co. 



88 SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 

flowers have here been brought, but also because of the importance 
which they promise to assume in the ornamental gardening of the 
near future. Mr. Burpee thinks that the sweet pea has never re- 
ceived the consideration from horticulturists and flower lovers to 
which it is entitled, and he considers it the flower of the future. The 
improvements made in sweet peas by hybridization and high cultiva- 
tion are greater than in the case of any other annual flower, excepting 
pansies. The fact that their beauty is beginning to impress the world 
at large is shown by the fact that contracts for furnishing sweet pea 
seeds have already been made for the coming season aggregating over 
12,000 pounds. By his efforts to improve and make more popular this 
lovely flower, Mr. Burpee has undoubtedly made his house the head- 
quarters for them. The trial beds show many beautiful varieties of 
every imaginable hue. Of pansies, too, there are hosts of fine and rare 
kinds, all brought to a high state of perfection, and that they are 
popular is best demonstrated by the fact that more than 250,000 pack- 
ages of pansy seeds were sold by W. Atlee Burpee & Co. last season. 

Varieties Being Tested. 

Among the many interesting and beautiful things which the trial 
beds reveal, and can, unfortunately, be but barely touched upon, 
there is the curious yard-long bean, the Willow-leaf Lima, which has 
beautiful slender foliage, entirely suitable for ornamental purposes, 
and at the same time bears an enormous crop of succulent beans ; 
gorgeous beds of celosia, among which a magnificent new French 
variety, " Triumph of the Exposition," is particularly noticeable ; bal- 
sams without number and without limitation as to shades and colors, 
and many beds of brilliant dianthus and carnations. There seem to 
be endless varieties of tomatoes on trial, and one of the best,- which is 
known as the " Dwarf Champion," is of particular interest to horti- 
culturists, owing to the fact that it has the commendable faculty of 
keeping itself within respectable bounds, and not spreading over too 
much territory; the "Matchless" is another of the very few really 
good varieties shown here. A curious freak of nature is the peach 
tomato, which looks for all the world like a ripe, luscious freestone 
from sandy Delaware. There are a number of samples from abroad 
on trial, including a straw-white variety, but they have been found to 
be comparatively worthless, and as the manager sententiously re- 
marks, " America leads the world in tomatoes." 

Bed after bed is given over to squashes, and they assume every im- 
aginable shape and size, one of the most peculiar being the Der Wing, 
from China, which is covered all over the surface with warts. The 



EVOLUTION OF NOVELTIES. 80 

leading squash here has the honor of bearing " Fordhook " as its title 
and represents the acme of cultivation and reiinement in this line. 

Unique Blossoms. 

Among the brilliant plots of phlox a novelty is the Starred and 
Fringed variety, and among the petunias we are shown a handsome 
specimen with unique, green-margined petals. Here is a most won- 
derful display of gladioli, with spikes of gorgeous blooms several feet 
long and presenting all the rainbow colors. The dahlias at "'Ford- 
hook " are all grown from seed, instead of roots, a recent introduction 
which has proven immensely successful. Row after row of vari- 
colored asters delight the eye with a wealth of tints, and flariug mari- 
golds bend gracefully toward the sun, one of the most beautiful being 
the lemon quilled, which is a bright yellow. Here, too, are grown 
direct from the seed the most brilliant coleus and verbenas. Cosmos, 
which is a Mexican plant in several colors, forms an attractive dis- 
play, and we can well believe the assertion that this flower is consid- 
ered by florists to be an exceedingly high type of beauty. 

It will be seen that these trial beds occupy the position of a huge 
open book, in which can be read at all times the qualities of any par- 
ticular kind of plant, and in which all faults, as well as all merits and 
beauties, are written by nature's inflexible hand. From these beds 
have sprung many important novelties. Among the valuable vege- 
tables which W. Atlee Burpee & Co. have introduced are the Iron- 
clad and Cuban Queen watermelons, Emerald Gem and Montreal 
muskmelons, Ruby King pepper, Silver King and Victoria onions, 
Surehead cabbage, which is a late variety, and All head cabbage, 
which is early ; Empire State and Burpee's Extra Early potatoes. 
Saddleback Wax and Burpee's Bush Lima beans, Turner Hybrid 
tomato, Breadstone turnip, and several different forms of peas, 
besides Welcome oats and other farm seeds, all of which have stood 
the tests of time and wide experience, and have proven decided addi- 
tions to the standard planting stock of the country. 

Preparing the Seed. 

Of course, one of the all-important divisions of the work at " Ford- 
hook ' ' is the preparation of the seeds after they have been grown and 
gathered. This is a labor that requires the utmost care and deftness, 
and, indeed, when the average visitor notes the minute, almost micro- 
scopic, size of many of the flower seeds, he is inclined to wonder that 
it is possible to save any of them at all. But the work has been re- 
duced to a science here, and skilled workmen turn out the cleanest 
and purest seed that could possibly be obtained. 



90 



SELECTION IN SEED GROWING. 



Seeds in pods, such as balsam, are first run through an ingenious 
apparatus in which a grooved wheel crushes the dried pods, allowing 
the heavy seed to drop out, dust and debris then being removed by 
means of a sieve. In fact, the sieve and the fan are the principal 
means of cleaning the bulk of seeds. The separation of the seeds of 
melons, tomatoes, and other such pulpy vegetables is a most interest- 
ing process. It is carried on in a little frame pavilion in a hollow in 
the southwest corner of the farm. The matter in hand, tomatoes, for 
instance, is first poured into a cider press and ground up, then placed 
into barrels and allowed to ferment for twenty-four hours. Upon this 




the matter goes into a large washing tank furnished with a sieve 
through which the heavy seeds sink to the bottom, the light seeds and 
pulp floating off on top. The tank is then tapped at the bottom, the 
accumulated seeds drawn off, and after several additional washings 
they are ready to be dried. 

Seeds are dried upon canvas frames in the second story of the build- 
ings, where there is a free circulation of air, or, in fine weather, upon 
sheets and frames spread in the open air. 



Among the Collies. 

A highly interesting portion of " Fordhook " is the section devoted 
to live stock. The firm of Burpee has for years had a high reputation 



THE COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT. 91 

as breeders of imported Collie dogs, and the kennels present a very 
important feature of the farm. The dogs are so beautifully kept, their 
quarters are so neat and clean, and the animals arc so bright and 
intelligent that it is a pleasure to go among them. Mr. Burpee claims 
that he has here equally as line stock as anybody in the country. He 
does not breed for exhibition purposes, and rarely exhibits any of the 
dogs, for fear of infection, but the end and aim of the breeding at 
" Fordhook " is intelligence and canine beauty, which are certainly 
here in the fullest degree. 

The poultry houses and yards are equally as neat and clean as the 
kennels, and show untiring energy and attention. An incubator turns 
out dozens of fuzzy little thoroughbred chicks every month, and before 
they get old enough to breed they are placed in separate yards, each 
breed by itself, in order that strains may always be kept pure. There 
are about TOO chickens on the farm now, some of the breeds repre- 
sented being Sherwoods, Black-breasted Red and Indian Games, Light 
Brahmas, Brown Leghorns, Barred Plymouth Rocks, White-crested 
Black Polish, Buff Cochins, and Langshans. 

The fine strains of sheep and swine handled by the Burpee firm are 
kept at different points in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the same 
care being maintained in their maintenance and the preservation of 
breed as with the dogs and poultry at " Fordhook." 

Distributing Seeds. 

The house of Burpee, whose large store and warehouses are in this 
city, 475 and 477 North Fifth Street, 476 and 478 York Avenue, occu- 
pies an unique position among seedsmen, inasmuch as they sell direct 
to planters more than any other house in the country. They come 
directly into contact with farmers and gardeners through the medium 
of their handsome annual catalogue, and their trade is all by mail and 
express, no agents being sent out through the country to stir up pro- 
fanity and afford food for alert dogs. The catalogue is the best agent. 
and last year 575,000 copies of their catalogues went broadcast over the 
country, in addition to a great many million circulars. 

Some idea of the immense business which is done at the Philadel- 
phia warehouse in the handling of seeds is afforded by the statement 
that from 125 to 150 hands are employed, more than 4000 seed orders 
have been filled in a single day, and the enormous number of 6400 
pieces of mail have been delivered at the store in one day, exclusive of 
newspapers and circulars. 

The growing and distribution of seeds is apparently very much of a 
business. 



From the New Jersey Temperance Gazette, Camden, N. «/., April 2d. 

SEED GROWING AND TESTING. 

MODERN DEVELOPMENTS OF THE BUSINESS AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE 
GROWTH OF A REPRESENTATIVE HOUSE. 

SEED growing as a business is of comparatively recent origin. In 
the earlier years of our country's history each farmer grew his 
own seed, or else traded with his neighbors for their equivalent. 
This was neither satisfactory nor profitable, viewed from any stand- 
point, but was the best that could be done under the then existing 
circumstances. But as the calling of the agriculturist broadened and 
became more complex in its nature and demands, the necessity for 
better seed service became imperative. Farmers who had been content 
to raise ten bushels of wheat to the acre found that the extra cost of 
living and labor left no profit at the old yield. The changed circum- 
stances demanded better seeds, better service, and bigger harvests. 

Nowadays the farmer who raises his own seeds engages in a work 
which can be done far cheaper and better by the professional seed 
growers. Every man to his own trade. All the skill, industry, and 
energy which have characterized the seed growers have resulted in 
pushing the business to a point but little removed from perfection itself. 

In the van of the big seed-growing concerns is the firm of W. Atlee 
Burpee & Co., of Philadelphia. There are other houses whose experi- 
mental farms are possibly as large as Fordhook, but it is nowhere 
written that the size of the farm indicates the quality of the seed. 
Fordhook is a synonym for painstaking care. There the seed is 
watched through all its stages of development, and at no point is it 
allowed to suffer for lack of careful attention. It is just this care that 
makes the Fordhook brand what it is. 

Add to this vigilant oversight and rigid scrutiny the fact that W. 
Atlee Burpee & Co. are ever on the alert to bring oat novelties of 
every description, and the key is found to the remarkable success of 
this firm. In the management of this house we find a happy union of 
wise conservatism, blended with virile progressiveness. But a novelty 
must have other merit than mere "newness" to win their approba- 
tion. Mr. Burpee knows that most of the readers of the 500,000 
catalogues annually issued are not in business altogether for the " sake 
of their health." These readers are perfectly content to have the 
seedsmen experiment on the seeds at their own sweet pleasure, but 
they themselves don't want to be made the victims of the seedsmen's 
experimentation. The Burpee method is to experiment on the seeds, 
not on the customers. That is why their business has been built from 
nothing to its present enormous proportions. 

* 92 



From the Doylestown Intelligencer, September SO, 1895. 

F0RDH00K IN FALL. 

A BRIEF SEPTEMBER VISIT AT THE SEED FARM— A GLANCE AT THE 
RECENT IMPROVEMENTS— BRILLIANT AUTUMN SETTING TO THE 
LABORS OF THE YEAR. 

IN royal radiance beneath the golden September sunshine, is spread 
the harvest bloom at Fordhook. Never were the broad acres more 
beauteous than at this season, when the ripening process is in pro- 
gress and the blossoms are most brilliant in their maturing. In fall 
view from railroad trains, on either side of the lane, are extensive beds 
of scarlet sage, which flood the landscape with the soft, warm, cardi- 
nal light. Flanking these are beds of balsams, of paler hues, inter- 
mingled with the de'icate green of their leaves, which constitute 
the setting of the more vivid center pieces. Seldom if ever have the 
seed grounds, sweeping gently to the south, presented more gorgeous 
pictures than this autumn, and never has Mr. Burpee's Fordhook Farm 
looked handsomer or given stronger token of the enterprise and activ- 
ity, the accomplishments and success, of the industry and experiments 
carried on there. 

In front of the house and extending to the railroad and highway 
are the seed-growing grounds first referred to. They are the most 
noticeable and best known features to visitors and travelers. Yet they 
do not so greatly merit or need description at this time, because of this 
knowledge. Extensive changes and improvements have been made in 
the recent past, and the institution shows large advance with each de- 
parting twelvemonth. 

The trial grounds, east of the buildings and south of the woods, 
are packed to repletion with experiments in progress. In one place 
are numbers of sweet peas, away up in double figures. Another spot 
is marked by coxcombs. Here are tomatoes. Yonder are melons. 
Alongside are cauliflower. Beyond are a new variety of cabbage. 
Everything is labeled and marked. In the office are histories of each 
test. Everything is systemized. All work is intelligently done. The 
results of one season are available to conduct the operations of the next. 

93 



94 SELECTION IN SEED GEO WING. 

Sometimes experiments have to be repeated. All the needed infor- 
mation has not been acquired in the first operation. It is sometimes 
necessary to verify conclusions by repeated tests under differing con- 
ditions. But in each and every trial something is gained, and what- 
ever it may be is recorded, that the information may be available in 
future. 

In the recent past much work has been done about the buildings. 
In the old barn the basement has been completely renovated. Admir- 
able stable arrangements have been introduced — hard pine fittings and 
cemented floors. Here are quartered the clean, slick, mild-eyed, and 
gentle Jerseys which supply Mr. Burpee's family and people with 
dairy products. Neighbors of the cows, across the entries, are the 
working horses. Especially noticeable among these are the two black 
Percherons, "" Candid " and " Emmett," recently purchased up in York 
State. They are young fellows, but large, kind, intelligent, and very- 
powerful. They are the admiration of all who visit Fordhook, and 
are admirably adapted for their duties of heavy farm work. 

The dog kennels have been somewhat increased in number, and 
therein are found collies of all sizes, from a few days old — with grave 
and serious countenances — up to the patriarchs of marvelous under- 
standing and intelligence, even for this most sagacious breed of man's 
best friend. The same general arrangement is observed as heretofore, 
and each kennel has a small run connected with it in which the occu- 
pant can take exercise. At the time of the writer's visit there were 
several litters of pups of the most cute and cunning appearance imag- 
inable. 

The chicken houses have been increased in number. They are com- 
modious buildings with exteusive yards connected with each. The 
species are, of course, kept separate, and many of the thoroughbreds are 
very handsome, while others, of much value, are not so pleasing to 
the eye. 

West of the stock is a new and commodious building, now nearing 
completion, which is going to be a most useful as well as convenient 
adjunct in the seed-growing department. The structure is of frame so 
arranged, with inclined planes, that large loaded wagons maybe driven 
directly through the center. On one side of this passageway a hoist- 
ing apparatus is arranged to carry freight to the third floor. On the 
west side, on the first floor, is a large, tight-floored, high-ceilinged 
room. This is to be used for a threshing floor. The process will be 
done with flails, and fanning will be by a hand machine as often and 
as finely as the different varieties of seed may demand. East of the 



FORDHOOK IN FALL. 



95 



main gangway is a room for seed sorting and packing, with boxes and 
racks of drawers for storage. Adjoining the latter is ;i second room 
for the storage of certain kinds of implements, etc. The second flooi 
contains drying racks — canvas cloth stretched across wooden frames. 
These are light, and may be stored in large numbers in limited space. 
The third floor is an open loft, where crops, such as beans, peas, corn, 
etc., may be spread for drying, or the space may be utilized for stor- 
age. From the third floor a narrow stairway leads to the observatory 
and belfry. From this point of observation all of Fordhook, except 
what lies along the Upper State Road, is visible. The view at this 
season is a splendid one, the luxuriant crops of vivid colors or ample 
fruitage, as the case may be, presenting all sorts of variety and 
diversity. 

From the same point of vantage, extending for miles to the south- 
east and south, is to be seen the broad valley which sweeps away to 
Newville and westward in most handsome landscape of cultivated 
fields, farm buildings, woodland, etc. To the east is Doylestown, 
where the foliage and houses, the roofs and spires, the red of brick and 
green of trees, suggest town and country both, and handsomely mark 
the county's capital. Close below the belfry is the office building, 
wherein Messrs. Darlington and Earl, Mr. Burpee's chiefs of staff, are 
busily at work with their records and the direction of affairs. Just 
west of this is the cosy summer home of the proprietor, larger and 
more commodious than that destroyed by fire a few seasons back, 
where, with his family, Mr. Burpee spends the summer months, enter- 
tains his friends and enjoys Fordhook, its beauties and environmeuts, 
to the utmost. 




From The Florists' Exchange, New York, January 28, 1S93. 

W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO.'S SEED HOUSE.* 

AS we have never given our readers a description of this im- 
mense establishment, we may be pardoned for going into a 
more lengthy description than we have allowed to the other 
seedsmen visited (in Philadelphia). 

They claim to do the largest mailing business in the United States, 
and therefore, not improbably, in the whole world, and it is impossible 
to be in the building for a few minutes without receiving the impres- 
sion that the business is immense, and that impression becomes convic- 
tion as each of the five floors and the basement of the building is 
visited in its turn and the increasing activity of the 140 people employed 
therein is noticed. 

The first floor is partly devoted to the general office, in which is ample 
desk room for 30 people, book-keepers, cashiers, corresponding clerks, 
type-writers, etc. A feature of this office is an enormous safe, con- 
taining nothing but the order books for what is called the retail trade, 
that is, orders received by mail from private parties. On this floor is 
Mr. W. Atlee Burpee's private office, where the representative of the 
Florists' Exchange was received by the head of the firm, who after 
some most flattering encomiums of the paper, placed me under the 
guidance of the manager, to be shown over the establishment. 

Leaving the office we proceeded to the rear, where a large open space 
is devoted to packing bulky goods, and which opens on York Avenue, 
where the wagons deliver all goods and load for shipment. A large 
steam elevator occupies one corner of this department. Following my 
cicerone, I now ascend to the first floor, on which is the flower-seed 

*The foregoing newspaper reports show the methods of growing and testing 
seeds at Fordhook Farm. The above article briefly describes the business 
system in force at our warehouse, Nos. 475 and 477 North Fifth Street, and 
476 and 478 York Avenue. The same subject is more fully treated, and also 
carefully illustrated from flash-light photographs of the different departments, 
in pages 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 in our Farm Annual for 1894. — W. A. B. & Co. 

96 



THE CITY WAREHOUSE. 97 

department, where orders for these goods and for bulbs are filled. 
Pigeon holes and small drawers all around the walls and in large 
frames or cases, separated by narrow alleyways, make up the principal 
furniture on this floor and are filled with small packets of flower seeds, 
arranged so that every separate kind can be reached in a moment. A 
full line of empty packages or envelopes is kept here in pigeon holes 
corresponding with the filled packages. 

Here also are large bins of sweet peas, for which Mr. Burpee, aware 
of their ever-growing popularity, has made contracts for over 14, (too 
pounds. Half of this floor is given up to the mailing department, the 
importance of which may be conceived from the fact that over 4000 
orders are sometimes mailed from here in one day. This is exclusive 
of the goods sent out from the express department on the floor above, 
to which we ascend. 

Here are the express, freight, and wholesale departments, and the seed- 
tilling department, in which is a great curiosity in the form of an auto- 
matic package filler and closer worked by steam. The paper bags, of 
which all the small sizes can be used, are placed in a horizontal rack, 
along which they move in an erect position ; the seed is poured into a 
hopper at the top of the machine, which is then started. With wonder- 
ful rapidity a scoop receives a modicum of seed and pours it, by means 
of a long, narrow beak, into the bag which has come immediately 
beneath it. The bag filled, it travels on till it reaches a slot, into 
which it drops, receiving on its downward path a smear of mucilage on 
its flap and a squeeze to fasten it. It then drops into a receiver, 
where it is immediately followed by other bags which have been filled, 
gummed, and dropped into an endless stream. By this contrivance one 
operative can fill and gum 20,000 packages of seeds a day. 

The next floor is used for bulk storage and printing. Four presses, 
a collection of electrotypes, and type are used to print bags, envelopes, 
names of retailers on catalogues, etc. The fifth floor contains the sur- 
plus stock of seeds, in packages, which is drawn on as required down 
stairs. Here, far above the constant movements and inevitable racket of 
the region below, is a large chamber with a long table, pierced at in- 
tervals with holes like those of letter boxes. It is here that the cashier, 
with sometimes as many as six assistants, presides at the opening of 
the daily mail, no trifling job, often comprising 7000 orders by letter or 
postal card. Each letter, as it is opened, is entered, and the money 
contained in it dropped into one of the holes intended for it, and made 
for cash, money orders, or postal notes, respectively. The orders, 
properly sorted out, then go to the different departments for filling. 



98 SELECTION IN SEED GRO WING. 

I have not yet spoken of the enormous quantity of printed matter 
which is on every floor. No one knows better than Mr. Burpee the 
value of printers' ink, and his catalogues, of which there are five dif- 
ferent kinds, are printed to the extent of 500,000 annually. The 
mailing of the new catalogues for 1893 commenced on December 4th 
last and will not be completed before the end of January. Besides 
this class of literature, the firm publishes another of equal interest to 
the general public. These books, well written, printed, and bound in 
paper and cloth, are largely sold and also distributed as premiums to 
buyers. Their titles are to be found in the catalogue, which is cer- 
tainly in the hands of every florist. 

The department of Mr. Giles Leahy, that of advertising and print- 
ing, and to whom I am indebted for the above information, is not the 
least important one of this vast establishment. 

I forgot to mention an important chamber I looked in at through a 
window, but could not enter, as only one man has a key. It is the 
repository of the most valuable stock seeds. 

Descending this time as low as the vast cellar used for potatoes and 
other bulky stock, I reascended to the office, where Mr. Burpee gave 
me much further valuable information. 

The firm has a large storehouse for seeds on Third Street, and a 
model seed farm at Fordhook, in Bucks County, which will be, we 
hope, visited and made the subject of a special article at an early date, 
and where Messrs. Burpee & Co. raise also fine live stock. 

I left this hive of industry deeply impressed with its size, the vast 
extent of territory it supplies, not only in the United States but in 
Europe, even Russia sending large orders, and, above all, with the 
wonderful system in force, by which the head of the firm controls from 
his office every department, each of which has its separate manager, 
and by which every order can be traced at any distance of time from 
its receipt in the office to its delivery to the buyer. 

The arrangements for testing the seeds, whose quality has made the 
reputation of the firm, belong to Fordhook, and will be described when 
that interesting place is visited. 



Why We Publish 
Books on Horticulture. 

TN the success of the planter is the germ of our 
success. First, the best Seeds, Bulbs, and 
Plants; next, the plainly told practice of ac- 
cepted experts in gardening. This is why we publish 
books on Horticulture, and from a modest begin- 
ning this feature of our business has grown to very 
considerable proportions. The past year we distrib- 
uted 73,475 volumes, which shows how fortunate 
we are in publishing bucks the people want. 

Our Books Free. 

With the standard high and the price low, we go 
further, — by allowing a credit of ton cents on every 
dollar sent us for seeds, plants, or bulbs toward the 
purchase of any book published by us. Thus, a 
$2.00 order, with 10 cts. added, can select any book 
offered for 30 cts.; with 30 cts. added, any book 
offered for 50 cts. Or, a $3.00 order can select en- 
tirely free any book offered for 30 cts., or a 85.00 
order any book offered for 50 cts., and so en. we more 
than meeting our customers half way in our desire 
to give them Free the best books for the Farm and 
Garden. 

W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., 

475 and 477 N. Fifth St., and 476 and 478 York Ave., 
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 




r^' 



*m BEAVTIFVL 
fLPWER GARDEN. 



BY THE WELL-KNOWN BOSTON ARTIST, 

F. SCHUYLER MATHEWS, 

IN COLLABORATION WITH ARTHUR FEWKS, 
OF NEWTON HIGHLANDS, MASS. 

We are confident this new book will mark an 
epoch in artistic flower-gardening, to which people 
everywhere are turning such close attention. Art 
is simple and natural ; — yet where is a teacher 
more needed than in simple, natural arrangement? 
There are many gardens laid out with evident care, 
yet even in these it must be admitted that some- 
thing is lacking, and Mr. Mathews says, " all 
4*, will agree with me that this something is art in 
""* gardening." Who is better able to tell us what 
'p-rv properly pertains to the subject than a trained 
1 vO° ' artist who is also an enthusiastic amateur gar- 
■$? dener? The pages are literally overflowing with 
v oV> pen-and-ink sketches made from nature, so that the 
7^]f ' V* veriest novice may easily learn to arrange plants and 
r ' J jS? flowers harmoniously. The artist-author has drawn from 
■; C^ the best in the artistic world of gardening, showing the influ- 
sv a ence of the formal English style, also that of the Italian renaissance 
period, not overlooking the influence exerted by the Japanese, who 
are a wonderfully artistic people. 

Above everything, harmony should rule in the garden ; all nature pro- 
claims the principle : " art itself is nature." Therefore, the most elaborative atten- 
tion is given by the author to making plain the principles of harmony. 

Not the least important part of this valuable book is that devoted to the careful 
description of flowers which may be easily procured and grown from seeds, bulbs, and 
cuttings. Bright sketches show the form and habit of growth of each class. The 
closing chapters are devoted to careful cultural directions by Arthur Fewks, a 
professional grower of wide reputation. All the works previously published on this 
subject are elaborate and expensive, treating for the most part of the management of 
great estates and parks; this book is for the million seeking to surround their homes 
with nature in her charming moods. We therefore consider it to our interest to make 
the price actually less than the cost per copy for the first edition. 

Finely illustrated, and in handsomely designed covers. 
Price 50 cts., postpaid. 
•Ct>-C"C AC A TiOCMTTTM Any $5.00 order can, if desired by the purchaser, 
rivCC Ao A 1 KCl'llUrl. include, entirely free, a copy of this new book ; 
or, if your order amounts to $2.00, you can get it for 30 cents added. 4®=* We allow 
a credit of 10 cents on each Dollar. 




•^8& 



Published by W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., Philadelphia, Pa. 



Injurious Insects 

AND THE USE OF INSECTICIDES. 
A NEW BOOK. 



By FRANK W. SEMPERS, 

Director of Fordhook Chemical Laboratory ; author of MANURES : 
How to Make and How to Use Them. 

A very complete and convenient treatise on insects destruc- 
tive to Fruit, Field, and Garden crops. Contains the latest and 
best methods for preventing insect injuries and gives reliable for- 
mulas for making insecti- 



cides. This book is plainly 
written for the million, 
and is filled with life-like 
illustrations which will 
greatly aid the farmer in 
identifying his insect foes. 

Synopsis of the Con- 
texts : — Natural and 
Artificial Methods of De- 
stroying Insects — Insect- 
icides, with Full Direc- 
tions for Making and 
Using Them — Insects 
Injurious to Orchard and 
Garden Fruits — Insects 
Destructive to Vegetable 
Crops and to Grains and 
Grasses — Those which 
Annoy Domestic Animals 
— Insects of the House- 
hold. 




A book badly needed by every one who has a Farm or Garden. 
PRICE, POSTPAID, 50 CENTS. 

PfPP ilQ <\ Pr*Pmilim -^" v 85.00 order can, if desired hv the purchaser, include. 
11^ aa a. ruuuiuu. entirely free, a copy of this new book. See above. 

PUBLISHED BY 

W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 

A Full and Complete Hand=Book of Onion Growing. 



At last we publish a really complete hand-book on Onion grow- 
ing, the first ever issued ; it is by Mr. T. Gkeiner, the author of 
the New Onion Culture, of which book he says: "The New 
Onion Culture was intended mostly to present a new phase of 
the business, and to encourage further researches in an entirely 
new direction. As a ' Hand-book of Onion Growing ' it has short- 
comings and is far from 
being complete. It leaves 
too much room for per- 
sonal inquiries. I have 
looked the field of horti- 
cultural literature in 
America over pret ty 
closely, and am unable to 
find a hand-book for the 
Onion grower the teach- 
ings of which are based 
on modern methods and 
embody (as they should 
in order to justify any 
claims of being ' up-to- 
the-times ' ) the two meth- 
ods, the old and the new, 
in profitable combina- 
tion." 





XGREIffiR 

f -- v ^»*-— > 
PUBLISHED 



PHILADELPHIA, P/V 



There is Big Money 

in Onions: $500, and even 
more, per acre, if you know 
how to get it out. This money 
is for the " up-to-the-times " 
market gardener, the progres- 
sive farmer, and the bright 
farmer's boy everywhere. No more practical and successful Onion grower than 
Mr. Greiner can be found, and he gives his latest knowledge in Onions for 
Profit without reserve. The book will undoubtedly mark an epoch in works 
on this subject. 

Every reasonable question as to Onion growing is answered in its over one 
hundred pages, which are enlivened with fully fifty illustrations prepared for 
this book, making it handsome as well as valuable. 

Price, Postpaid, 50 Cents, 

or can be selected FREE as a premium on or- 
ders amounting to FIVE DOLLARS or more. 



PUBLISHED BY 

W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



Brief extracts from reviews in leading 
agricultural papers of Oxions for Profit. 



From American Florist, Chicago, III., Feb. 16, 1S93. 

It contains ample information covering every point in 
onion culture, from sowing to harvesting. 

From Atlanta Constitution, A thud,,, Go., Feb. i 
m The onion-grower will find the hook a profitable and 
mteresting study. It " covers the ground," as the onions 
do, and contains much valuable information. 

From Country Gentleman, Albany, K Y, Feb. 16, 1893. 
The author's experience is freely drawn on. covering 
both systems, and he has no " trade secrets " to keep back 
from his loss experienced fellow gardeners. 

From Farm and Fireside, Springfield, Ohio, 

May 1, 1S93. 
A complete hand-book or guide to successful and profit- 
able onion growing. In this book market gardeners will 
find clearly told all the valuable " trade secrets" of the 
improved methods that have revolutionized onion culture. 

From Farm Journal, Philadelphia, March, 1893. 

There is a growing interest in this subject. The author 
is well fitted to tell others what he knows about onions 
and big enough to have no secrets. His knowledge is for 
all, and can be bought of the publishers for fifty cents, 
by mail. 

From Massachusetts Ploughman, Boston, Mass., 

Feb. 18, 1893. 
Mr. T. Greiner, the well-known gardener and agricul- 
turist has just written an admirable detailed and illus- 
trated description of the new methods used in onion 
growing by the most progressive gardeners. Mr. Greiner 
has the rather rare qualifications of being both a prac- 
tical and successful gardener, and also a very clear and 
concise writer. 

From Florist's Exchange, New York fit,/, Feb. 11, 1893. 

He answers the question, " Does onion growing pav ? " 
as follows:— b hi } 

"Onions are just the crop for extensive' farming. The 
pig item in their production is well-directed labor, not 
land. Their culture involves souk; risk of loss to the 
unskilled and shiftless grower; but it also affords one of 
the best chances to get comparatively large returns from 
a little land well tilled. 

" With the exception of celerv I could not name a single 
crop so promising in this respect as the onion crop." 



The present production of the onion in the United States has 
reached enormous proportions, and yet hundreds of thousands of 
bushels are annually imported. 

It seems to me that California and some of our Southern States can 
grow just as good onions as any of the countries named, and they 
should try to catch a little of this trade in mild foreign sorts.— 
Geeinee. 



Celery for Profit. 



All agree that Celery offers greater chances for making money 
than any other garden crop. The difficulties encountered by the 
old methods of growing, however, made success uncertain, and sure 
only with comparatively few expert growers. Modern methods 
make all this uncertainty a thing of the past. From the same 
area which would give $100.00 in any other vegetable, you 

may take $400.00 or even 
$500.00 in Celery, if you 
know how. This new 
book, just published, is 
written by T. Greiner, 
author of Onions for 
Profit, and other books 
on gardening. It tells 
how to dispense with 
nine-tenths of the labor 
generally thought neces- 
sary in Celery growing, 
and how to make the 
business pay really big 
profits. Under the right 
culture and conditions 
several thousand dollars' 
worth of Celery can be 
raised on a single acre. 
The book is thoroughly 
complete in every detail, and is embellished with many helpful 
and original illustrations. Here is a glimpse of the table of 
contents : — 

Generalities— An Introduction-The Early Celery— The New Celery Culture— 
The Irrigation Problem-The Fall and Winter Crop— Winter Storage— Mar- 
keting Problems — Varieties, etc., etc. 

Price, Postpaid, 30 Cents, 

or can be selected FREE as a premium with any 
order amounting to THREE DOLLARS or more. 




PUBLISHED BY 

W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



Brief extracts from editorial 
reviews of Celery for Profit. 

From Mirror and Farmer, Manchester, X. II , 

March 16, 2895. 

Tells all about celery culture. 

From Ohio Farmer, Cleveland, Ohio, March V>, is:*.;. 

A paper-cover book of 85 pages, embracing the whole 
science and art of celery growing, fully illustrated 

From Southern Cultivator, Atlanta, Ga., Map, 1893. 
A very useful little pamphlet on the cultivation of 
celery, giving an exposition of the modern methods of 
growing this toothsome and popular vegetable. 

From Western Plowman, Moline, I it., March 15, 1895. 
By the improved methods shown celery raising is not 
the difficult and laborious operation that it once was. 
We commend this little work and advise our readers to 
invest thirty cents in a copy of it. 

From Gleanings in Bee Culture, Medina, Ohio, 

March 1, 1893. 
It is written in the author's bright, hopeful, and 
intensely happy and interesting vein, and the illustra- 
tions all through are up to the very latest date. It covers 
the ground of the new celery culture entirely. 

From Farm and Fireside, Springfield, Ohio, May 1,1893. 
Not only every grower of celery for market, but every 
one who lias a garden ought to have tins book. Growers 
can learn bow to multiply their profits. Celery culture 
is made so plain that there is no longer an excuse for the 
borne garden being without its patch of this choice and 
most wholesome vegetable. 

From Massachusetts Ploughman, Boston. Mass., 

March 11, 1893. 
Mr. Greiner, in bis admirable, concise, and practical 
style, details the recent great improvements in the 
methods of growing celery for both market and home 
use. The book is handsomely printed and illustrated 
with numerous cuts, and is well worth reading by all 
celery growers, whether experienced or not. 

From Garden and Forest, New York City, May 17,1893. 
This little band-book, although it contains less than a 
hundred pages, tells the amateur planter in the plainest 
possible manner all that be needs to know in order to 
grow a crop of celery in his home-garden, and then how 
to preserve it properly through the winter. Perhaps the 
most interesting chapter is that devoted to the "new 
celery culture," which consists in growing the plants 80 
closely together that they blanch in their own shade. 

Only ten years ago celery was a rarity and a luxury. 

How different now. You find a little patch of celery in every com- 
plete home garden. 

People have learned to like the taste of the vegetable, and they 
will have it. 

This means a steady move in the right direction— away from an 
excessive, almost exclusive, meat diet, and toward civilization and 
refinement.— Greixek. 



MANURES: 

How to Make and How to Use Them 



A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE CHEMISTRY OF 
MANURES AND MANURE MAKING. 



This new book on the chemistry of manures and manure making is a 
complete and really important work, written specially for the use of farmers, 
horticulturists, and market gardeners, by Frank W. Sempers, Director of 
the Fordhook Chemical Laboratory. 

It clearly explains the 
principles underlying soil 
fertilization and gives the 
best known scientific meth- 
ods for preparing and apply- 
ing natural and artificial 
manures on the farm. It 
has been demonstrated by 
several of the State Agri- 
cultural Experiment Sta- 
tions and by scores of pro- 
gressive farmers that chemi- 
cal manures equal to the best 
ready-made mixtures can be 
made on the farm, without 
the aid of machinery and at 
great saving in cost. The 
different raw materials en- 
tering into the composition 
of fertilizers are plainly 
described, and the best com- 
mercial sources of supply 
given. Considerable space 
is devoted to tried and 
proved formulas, drawn from 
the latest scientific re- 
searches in America, Eng- 
land, France, and Germany. 
Simple explanations are also given of some terms in chemical technology 
used in the State Agricultural Reports and in the general agricultural and 
horticultural literature of the day. The arrangement and classification 
are in accordance with the best scientific usage, and every formula is the 
result of actual field experiment. The preparation of this book has in- 
volved a large amount of careful work. 

Price, Postpaid, 50 Cents, 

or can be selected FREE as a premium on or- 
ders amounting to FIVE DOLLARS or more. 




HOW TO MAKE 

AND 

HOW TO USETHEM 



N^j» 



W.ATLEE BURPEE&O? 

Philadelphia. 



PUBLISHED BY 

W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



All About 

Sweet Peas 

Revised and Enlarged. 

Last season we published a little monograph, 
All About Sweet Peas. It was so enthusiastic- 
ally received that 52,577 copies were asked for 
and sent out. From the correspondence that fol- 
lowed we estimate that fully 200,000 persons read 
this monograph. This wonderful fact emphatic- 
ally calls for a book. We have, therefore, prepared 
a beautifully illustrated volume with the fixed 
purpose of furnishing a complete epitome of the 
literature of this fragrant annual. The author is, 
of course, Rev. W. T. Hutchins, a most enthusi- 
astic and successful grower, and an authority 
upon the subject. Our new book is complete, 
exhaustive, and carefully edited. From our 137 
trials at Fordhook and comparative soil tests 
conducted by our chemist, Mr. Sempers, in sev- 
eral sections- of the country, we can safely say 
that cultural directions and fertilizers suggested 
are authoritative. Price, postpaid, only 20 cents. 

Free as a Premium with any $2.00 Order. 



PUBLISHED BY 

W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., 

PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



How to Cook Vegetables, 



BY MRS. S. T. RORER. 

Principal of the Philadelphia Cooking School, Editor of Table Talk, 
Author of Mrs. Rorer's Cook Book, Etc. 



This new book, published by us, has met with success beyond 
our most sanguine expectations. Every family wants a copy, as 
Mrs. Rorer is acknowledged authority by thousands of the best 
housekeepers everywhere. As all the proof-sheets have been care- 
fully revised by her personally, " HOW TO COOK VEGETA- 
BLES" will be found thoroughly trustworthy. The recipes 
given have all been proven by Mrs. Rorer from practical tests in the 
kitchen and on the table. 



•CA 



\0>, 



'~£ 









It is a book of 182 pages 
of the same size as The Kitchen 
Garden, and gives numerous 
recipes for cooking all vari- 
eties of vegetables in every 
style — many of which will be 
new even to the most experi- 
enced housewives. As an illus- 
tration of how thoroughly the 
subject is treated, we would 
I v'V'y, __- w- mention that it gives forty 

<4 B^T/C^I DkHS<^vV wa ^ s of cookin 8' potatoes 
m B&l tw/*J^$~^^r\ twenty-six of tomatoes, aud 
IIm ( ,p C2« twenty-two of corn. It also 

\S ^JvL, ( L( N \ — ' gives "twenty-eight recipes for 

^ «_ <XrC ■' s. ^H making Soups and thirty- 

Wi ^ In _-**"» .V <r™ seven recipes for Salads. 

Besides " How to Cook Vege- 
tables," it also tells numerous 
ways How to Pickle,— How 
to Preserve Fruits,— How 
to Can for Winter Use, as 
well as how to serve vegetables 
cold. 

An important supplement to 
the general scope of this 
treatise is the addition, also by 
Mrs. Rorer, of nearly fifty 
complete Menus, for spring, 
summer, autumn, and winter. 
In all, it is a most complete 
book, that will prove really 
valuable to every progressive 
housewife. 

This new book, of which the copyright is owned by us, is not for sale, and 
can onlv be had as a Premium By those who purchase Seeds, Bulbs, or Plants from 
us In order to place it within the reach of all we offer the paper-cover edition 
entirely FREE as a Premium on an order amounting to $3.00. A copy 
substantially bound in cloth, for kitchen use, can be had free with an order 
for $5.00. 

PUBLISHED BY 

W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA. 






£ 



.PHI LADELPHIA 



HOW AND WHAT TO GROW 

IX A 

Kitchen Garden of One Acre. 



r 



FULLY ILLUSTRATED. 
Price 50 Cents in Paper; 75 Cents in Cloth. 

This new book of nearly 200 pages will prove very valuable 1o 
all engaged in gardening : it gives sound, common-sense views and 

practical teachings— so plain that the most inexperienced need not 

fail — so complete that experi- 
enced gardeners can read it 
with pleasure and profit. It is 
fully illustrated, and enters so 
thoroughly into details that it 
will undoubtedly be warmly 
welcomed by the thousands 
who inquire, every year, What 
is the best book on Garden= 
ing? Among other subjects 
its contents embrace : — 
Selecl ion of Location— Preparing the 
Soil— Laying out the Garden to in- 
clude the various Vegetables and 
Fruits, and securing to each the 
Most Suitable Location — Planting 
and Care of Small Fruits— The Best 
Varieties of Small Fruits, and Har- 
vesting Same — Directions for Mak- 
ing and Care of Hot-beds— Raising 
Vegetable Plants — Transplanting 
—Sowing Seeds— Practical Directions for the Special Cultivation of all Vege- 
tables— Notes on the Merits of the Different Varieties of Vegetables— Manures 
—Description, Proper Uses, and Care of Garden Implements— How to Grow 
Second Crops to best Economize the Land and Manure— The Winter Storage of 
Vegetables — The Use and Management of Told Frames in Winter — Winter 
Care and Pruning of Small Fruits— Culture of Succulent Roots and Bulbs- 
Herbs, their Uses and Manner of Growing. 

g^^The paper-cover edition can be had FREE, as a premium, 

on a seed order of §5.00 ; or bound in cloth, on a seed order amount- 
ing to $7.50. 

PUBLISHED BY 

W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA. 




The Poultry Yard 

HOW TO FURNISH AND MANAGE IT. 



By W. Atlee Burpee. Fully illustrated. We have just 
issued another edition of this popular book, very much amended, 
with up-to-the-times methods and usages. Besides the de- 
scriptions of the leading 
Land and Water Fowls, 
it also contains chapters 
on the 

Best Plans of Poultry 
Houses— How to Make In- 
cubators — Selection and 
Mating of Stock— What 
and How to Feed- 
General Management — 
French Method of Kill- 
ing—Dressing and Ship- 
ping Poultry — Eggs and 
Chickens— D irections 
for caponizing with 
Plain Illustrations — 
Diseases with Tried and 
Proven Prescriptions — 
How to Raise Good Tur- 
keys, etc., etc. 

Price in paper covers, 
handsomely designed, 




50 cts. ; bound in cloth, 75 cts., postpaid. 
The paper-cover edition can be had FREE, as a premium, 
on a seed order of $5.00; or bound in cloth on a seed order 

amounting to $7. 50. 

published by 
W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



BURPEE'S MANUAL OF THOROUGHBRED LIVE STOCK for 1893, 
the most complete of its kind, FREE upon application. 



HOWTOGROWCABBAGESAndCAULIFLOWERS 
MOST PROFITABLY. 

This book gives complete information on the successful growing <>i 
these important crops, and treats fully on : — 

How to succeed with CABBAGES- -The Best Soils— The Cabbage 
a Greedy Feeder — Manures — Planting and Cultivation —Insects — Early 
Cabbages— Late Cabbages— Catting and Marketing. 

CAULIFLOWER— Selection of Land -Making Seed Red and 
Sowing Seed — Cultivation — Enemies of the Cauliflower — Varieties — 
Tying and Bleaching — Packing for Market — How to Keep for Winter 
t'se. Illustrated. Peice, Postpaid, 30 Cents. 

FREE AS A PREMIUM on any order amounting to $3.00 or wore. 



HOW TO GROW ONIONS. 

Published in 1888, tbis is a thoroughly reliable guide for all who 
purpose growing this most profitable crop. It gives in full the prize 
essay, with the above title, by Mr. T. Greixer, also Onion Growing 
by Irrigation, by Col. C. A. Ablie, of Lake View, Oregon — care- 
fully edited, with additional notes, including an article on growing 
Sets, by W. Atlee Buepee. Illustrated. Peice 30 Cents. 
EREE ASA PREMIUM on any order amounting to $3.00 or more. 



HOW TO GROW MELONS FOR MARKET. 

In order to present the subject to our readers in the most compre- 
hensive and concise manner, we have compiled from the PEIZE ESSAYS, 
and our own experience, a treatise that we think will be of value to 
every Melon grower. It treats of both Muskmelons and Watermelons, 
with full information on the selection of soil, nse and application of 
manures, selection of suitable and profitable varieties, planting of seed, 
destruction of insects, copious notes on the cultivation, how to grow 
extra large melons, bow and when to gather for market, etc. 

Illustrated. Peice, Postpaid, 30 Cents. 
EREE AS A PREMIUM on any order amounting to $3-00 or more. 



ROOT CROPS FOR STOCK FEEDING. 

Every Farmer <m<l s/oi-L- Breeder, especially those who have never 
grown Loot Crops, should read ROOT Crops for Stock FEEDING, and 
How to Grow Them. Illusteated. A practical little treatise com- 
piled from the Prize Essays. Edited by W. Atlee Buepee, with 
copious additions from our own experience in growing these crops. It 
treats fully not only on How to Grow, but also How to Store and How 
to Feed ; it also gives careful notes on the most profitable varieties. 
Root Crops for Stock Feeding is a subject of the greatest importance to 
every farmer who desires the Farm to Pay a Profit. 

Illustrated. Price, Postpaid, 30 Cents. 
EREE AS A PREMIUM on any order amounting to $3.00 or more. 



PUBLISHED BY 

W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA, 



t s 

I Our Catalogues, Published Annually, are: ~- 

} BURPEE'S FARM ANNUAL. This is the foundation. See next page. > 



Special Advertisement of BURPEE'S SEEDS. This is an abridged 
catalogue, descriptive mostly of our Novelties, which is mailed to those 
names on our books from whom, for one reason or another, we did not receive 
an order the previous season. It is an invitation to apply for our Farm 
Annual, if the recipient is still in need of seeds, — the Farm Annual being 
too expensive to mail broadcast unless it is actually wanted. 



) Illustrated Circular of UNTRIED NOVELTIES. See synopsis given 

5 on page 35. Issued January 15th, and mailed to our customers free on 

j application. 

^ BURPEE'S BLUE LIST. Special price list of Seeds in Bulk for 

£ market gardeners and florists who have occasion to purchase in large 

C quantities. Mailed to the secretary of any Farmers' Club, Market Gardener, 

« or Florist on application. 

S BURPEE'S RED LIST. This is a Wholesale Price List of 

? Seeds for dealers only. In response to numerous inquiries, we would state 

| emphatically that we never send out boxes of seeds to be sold on commission, 

£ but supply first-class seeds to dealers willing to pay a fair price for them. 

C This catalogue is sent only to bona fide dealers in seeds. 



BURPEE'S MANUAL OF THOROUGHBRED LIVE STOCK. This 

is issued in January of each year, and is a most complete illustrated catalogue 
of Thoroughbred Sheep, Swine, Fancy Poultry, and Kough-Coated 
Scotch Collie Dogs. It is sent without request to all live-stock customers 
of the previous year, and is mailed to all others FREE on application. 
4®=* Every Stock Breeder, Poultry Fancier, and all Farmers interested in 
improved stock should write for it. The many illustrations are accurately 
engraved from nature, and the merits of the different breeds are fairly 
presented. If you want a copy, send a postal card asking for the "Illus- 
trated Manual op Thoroughbred Live Stock." 



2 FORDHOOK COLLIE KENNELS. This is the title of a special illus- 

y trated folio of Scotch Collies, as bred at Fordhook Farm, with photo- 

r gravure illustrations and much interesting information. Mailed in a circu- 

£ lar tube on receipt of a two-cent postage stamp. 



»" BURPEE'S CATALOGUE OF FLOWERING BULBS, PLANTS, £ 

I AND SEEDS FOR AUTUMN PLANTING. A complete illustrated cata- £ 

| logue of Hyacinths, Tulips, Crocus, and other bulbs and flower roots for i 

h winter blooming and fall planting; also embracing seasonable seeds and ^ 

| plants. Issued September 1st of each year. Free on application. 2 



t W.ATLEE BURPEE & CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA. | 

£ £ 



BURPEE'S 



FARM ANNUAL. 



■The Leading American Seed Catalogue.- 



For truth, knowledge, and fairness Burpee's Farm Annual is 
looked to as the model seed catalogue of America. 

Its mission is to show the hest seeds that grow within the reach of all: 
Seed planters everywhere helieve in it. Our hrethren in the seed trade 
pay it and us honor by quoting from its pages ; the editors of influential 
papers — whose good opinion we all value — compliment it highly. 

The following extracts from four reflect hundreds of reviews : 
One of the Most Complete. 

From The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pa., March 19, 1S93. 

The Farm Annual, published by W. Atlee Burpee A Co., Philadelphia, 
is one of the most complete works on the science of seed growing that 

has yet been brought to the attention of the public. This catalogue is a most 
valuable one to farmers, gardeners, and florists, and its accurate descriptions 
may be relied upon as true to nature. 

By Common Consent at the Head. 

From The New York CENTRAL News. Utica, X. }'., March SO, 1893. 

By common consent, BUBPKE'S Farm Annual stands at the head of all 
similar works; but, better than all this, their choice seeds, which are all 
thoroughly tested by them and only the very best sent out to their customers. 
have acquired a world-wide reputation. 

Honor and Honesty of the Seller. 

From The Ottawa County Times, Holland, Mich., March 25, 189S. 

Experience has taught us that the descriptions given in BURPEE'S Farm 
Annual of the products of their seeds are accurate and not overdrawn. In 
no other business, perhaps, is the buyer so entirely dependent upon the 
honor and honesty of the seller as in the business of seed buying. 

A Mirror of the Best Seeds. 

Fom The Watertown Tost, Watertown, N. >'., April 18, 1893. 

Of all the catalogues sent out by American seedsmen, that of W. Atlee 
Burpee & Co. is unsurpassed in arrangement, illustrations, and honest de- 
scriptions. It lias taken many years of labor and millions of capital to develop 
and perfect this great industry of seed growing, of which the Fakm ANNUAL 
is a mirror, reflecting in its pages all that is best in the world of seeds. 

The new edition is issued January 1st and mailed promptly to each 
one of our customers, beginning with the far South and West. Any 
seed planter is welcome to a copy free. Others should enclose ten 
cents, which is less than cost in quarter-million editions. 



W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO.,- 

PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




